NEW PALESTINE — It didn’t take long for Ed Marcum to start accumulating wins, and championships, at New Palestine.
He was an assistant coach for Pete Cook during the Dragons run to the state championship in 2003, which ended with a 1-0 loss to Gibson Southern in the state final.
That was the last time the Dragons would lose in the state finals.
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When Cook left to take a job at a junior college in Ohio, Marcum inherited a talented roster for his first year as head coach in the spring of 2004. The Dragons again advanced to the state finals, this time topping West Lafayette, 5-1, making Marcum a championship-winning coach in his first year.
“To step in my first year, and to be honest I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I had great seniors and great players, stepped in there and to be able to win it my first year was just incredible,” Marcum said. “I was very nervous, I guess you could say, especially going to the state championship game. It was hot, humid, I thought I was going to pass out. I felt better after we scored four runs.”
He never could have imagined where he’d be, 16 years after first taking the New Palestine job and 15 years after his first championship.
He now leads all Indiana softball coaches with six state titles, surpassing retired Center Grove coach Russ Milligan this spring with a third consecutive championship win. He surpassed 400 career wins this year, currently holding a 414-62 record as a coach, an average of 26 wins to just four losses per season.
“That’s usually a great year for a program,” Marcum said of the 26-4 average. “To think that you’ve been able to average that for 16 years is once again a testament to the players. They buy in to what we try to do and they work really hard.”
The New Palestine softball team has become both a state and national powerhouse under Marcum’s tutelage, finding itself atop the Indiana rankings for the past three years while also rising to the upper echelon of both the MaxPreps and USA Today Super 25 rankings.
For all of his accomplishments, Marcum was recently inducted into the Indiana Softball Hall of Fame, an honor that was bestowed on June 21 at the North/South All-Star Game banquet.
“It was obviously exciting. Very humbled by the honor,” Marcum said. “When you start coaching, you don’t even imagine anything like that. You just wanna come in and do the best job you can as a coach. We’ve been so fortunate to have so many great players through the years, and that’s really what it reflects back to. It’s just been an honor to be able to pour into the position and try to do your best and try to get their best. It’s just a very humbling experience to be recognized for all the work you’ve put in.”
Joining Marcum at the Hall of Fame induction and all-star banquet were two players he’s known for many years, recent New Palestine graduates Jaylin Calvert and Emily O’Connor.
The coach is used to seeing some of his players honored by playing in the annual all-star series — just last year, Ashley Prange was named Miss Softball during the event — but having two of his own players in attendance for his Hall of Fame induction made the event extra special.
“For all the players that are there, several of them I’ve known and competed against, to have Emily and Jaylin present and to represent New Palestine as well as they have was certainly an honor for me to have them there,” Marcum said.
“It was really cool, especially knowing how successful he is and how he coaches,” Calvert said. “It was really awesome to see him get such a huge reward for all of his accolades throughout the years. It was really nice to be there and experience that with him.”
Also in attendance were many members of Marcum’s family, who have been a huge part of his softball success.
His daughters, Michelle Hokl and Alyssa Dillard, both played for him and are coaches in the New Palestine softball program. His wife, Becky, has also been a huge support system for Marcum.
“It’s a humbling experience to be able to share this with my family,” Marcum said. “All the hours that Becky has poured into me being able to coach for these 16 years, and then to have not only Alyssa and Michelle as players but to come back as coaches and want to be part of it, it’s really an experience for the whole family. I’m sure I wouldn’t have been in this position without my family being so heavily involved in the game of softball.”
While Marcum is quick to deflect credit to his players, they are just as quick to credit him for the culture he’s built around the Dragons softball program.
“I think his record definitely says a lot. Just being able to have the opportunity to play here and for him, for a coach that has so many state championships, he made our team chemistry awesome,” Prange said. “We were all so close. I respect him a lot, and I’m thankful for the opportunity.”
It’s about more than just wins and losses and championships at New Palestine. Marcum wants his players to have fun while they compete, and he wants his teams to have the chemistry and the bond that the past few years’ squads have had.
He’s come a long way as a coach in the past 16 years, as has the Dragons softball program. Each year is another opportunity to learn and to grow. Each new year brings another opportunity to hopefully compete for more state championships.
“From that first year, I tried to learn as we go along. I’m intense, I expect the best from my players, but I also understand that it is a game and I want them to enjoy the experience,” Marcum said. “It’s been overwhelming to think about six state championships. That’s not ever anything that you would imagine when you were starting off. We just try to take it year by year and do the best we can.”
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New Palestine softball coach Ed Marcum has helped guide the Dragons program to national prominence and a record six state championships.
Overall record: 414-62
Championships (with record):
- 2004 (29-4)
- 2008 (29-3)
- 2009 (30-1)
- 2017 (31-2)
- 2018 (30-1)
- 2019 (29-3)
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