Perry Clark is named as the head coach of Mesa Softball

Tuesday January 21, 2025 - 4:30 p.m. | Dylan DeVlieger

Mesa Athletics is proud to announce Perry Clark as the head coach of the Mesa Community College Softball team.

Clark comes to Mesa after coaching at NCAA DIII program, Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, WI since 2017. Before his time at MMU Clark coached for 20 years at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, IL. At WCC, Clark saw great success as he led his program to seven straight Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference titles and one NJCAA DII National Championship Tournament appearance. 

Clark is excited to jump back into the JUCO world as that's where he has seen his most success and where he was able to impact players the most.

"I like developing good players into great players. I'll take an average player and work with them for two years and we can get them to any level they want to play, whatever they desire we can get them there,= said Clark. 

With Clark being appointed to the position with less than two weeks till the season opener on Feb. 1 the WCC Hall of Famer will have his work cut out for him. However, Clark has already done his homework on his players, the conference, and differences in playing in the warmer temperatures than what he is used to in WI. The adjustment of long breaks between games will be something for Clark to work through, but he is confident that his experience will help him fine tune his craft.

Clark credits a lot of his success through his many teams to their ability to work together and act as one unit on the field. There are many ways to forge that collaboration but one of the best ways that Clark has seen is team building, something that Clark will begin on day one with the T-Birds. 

"We do a lot of team building throughout the entire course of the year, we're going to get into team building day one, we need to become one unit right away," said Clark.

With his arrival so close to the beginning of the year it would be easy to view this season as a wash as some might say, but Clark is not one of those people. He believes his team can and will be competitive right out of the gate and wants opponents to feel the difference in the club he'll command this season.

"There's a new program and it's called Mesa Community College Softball. Day one the team will seem different and look different and when we walk onto the field whether the opposing coach is in their first year or tenth year they will feel the difference," said Clark. 

The T-Birds will have a tough start to the season as they open against near DII arrival Pima Community College, followed by South Mountain, Scottsdale, Phoenix College, Chandler-Gilbert all of whom made the Region I DII Postseason last season.