Burch returning to Wallace State as head softball coach

Hanceville, AL — Wallace State Community has hired former Wallace State softball player and assistant coach Sallie Beth Burch to lead the Lions softball team, President Dr. Vicki Karolewics announced today.

“We are excited to welcome Sallie Beth Burch back to Wallace State, where she was part of the 2008 national championship team,” said Karolewics. “Her experience as both a player and coach for the Lions are invaluable as we continue the Lions’ winning tradition.”

Burch played second base for Wallace State from 2008 to 2009 and was part of the team’s first of two national championship titles when the 2008 squad won the National Junior College Athletic Association Division (NJCAA) championship.

After graduating from Wallace State, Burch transferred to Jacksonville State University, where she continued playing softball for the Gamecocks from 2010 and 2011.

Burch returns to Wallace State after most recently serving as associate head softball coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She previously served as the associate head softball coach and assistant softball coach at Jacksonville State, and she served as an assistant coach at Wallace State from 2016-2019.

“I am very excited for this opportunity to come back to Wallace State," Burch said. "I take great pride in being able to come back to help represent and carry on the legacy of this program. It’s a full-circle moment for me.”

The 2024 Lions softball team earned Wallace State’s fourth straight Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) title and their 16th overall and made their 16th appearance at the NJCAA Division I World Series. Along with their 2008 national championship, the Lions also won the national title in 2013.

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About Wallace State

Wallace State Community College (Ala.), a member of the Alabama Community College System, is a comprehensive community college in north central Alabama offering more than 200 options in academic, health and technical programs of study leading to an associate degree, certificate or transfer, as well as workforce-credit training and adult education. An Achieving the Dream Leader College, nationally-recognized by the Aspen Institute among the top institutions according to student outcomes, ranked by Southern Business and Development among the Top 3 institutions in the South for workforce development, named a Center of Excellence by the National League for Nursing and the National Security Administration, rated the Top Online Community College in Alabama, a Military Friendly Institution and an All-Steinway School, Wallace State is an outstanding place for students to pursue their education and career goals. Classes are offered online and on campus, day, evening and on weekends, with numerous start dates each year. Visit Wallace State’s beautiful main campus located on 300-acres in Hanceville, Ala., our satellite location in downtown Oneonta, Ala., find us online at www.wallacestate.edu, or call 256.352.8000.