Russellville High School is proud to announce the hiring of Ryan Davenport as the new Head Softball Coach.
Coach Davenport takes over the reins of the High School Lady Panther Softball program with a rich and deep set of ties to the Russellville/Logan Co. community. A 1999 graduate of Russellville High School and current PE teacher at Stevenson Elementary, Coach Davenport holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Master’s degree in Special Education, both from WKU.
Already the head coach of the RVK Middle School program, Coach Davenport’s ability to generate excitement and high levels of play from his team helped to make the decision to offer him the position an easy one for RHS’ SBDM Council.
Coach Davenport takes over a RHS Lady Panther Softball program that won eight games this past season and has high expectations for the coming years. Prior to accepting the head high school position, Coach Davenport worked as an assistant for two years under former Lady Panther Coach Calvin Head.
Coach Davenport is deeply entrenched in Russellville athletics, and his commitment to the students of Russellville is exemplified by the many roles he fills within the school system. Coach Davenport has eight years’ experience as the RMS Head Boys Basketball Coach, four years an Assistant Boys Basketball Coach at the high School, four years as the Head MS Softball Coach, and currently serves as the Archery Coach and Jump Rope Team coach at Stevenson Elementary. Coach Davenport also oversees the Boys Jr. Pro Program run through RISD.
Coach Davenport released this statement regarding his new position:
“I am extremely honored and grateful for this opportunity. I have been a Russellville Panther all my life and this school and sports programs mean so much to me. Coaching is my passion and I thank God daily for giving me the opportunity to positively impact the lives of young people. For the past 13 years I’ve coached in the Russellville School District. Coaching can be demanding and keep you away from home countless hours but I’ve been blessed with an amazing wife, Tonya Davenport, who has always been so supportive of me and encouraged me to continue doing what I love.
“I want to thank the RHS SBDM Council, Principal Ben Bruni and AD Kyle Yates for selecting me to lead the RHS Lady Panther Softball team. I also want to thank Mrs. Kim McDaniel and Coach Calvin Head for hiring me four years ago as the RMS Softball Coach. During my time with Coach Head, I learned a great deal about the game of softball and I am grateful for his help and support during that time. I feel that we have placed the softball program into a great position.
“We currently have over 20 players playing travel softball and the interest in softball as at an all-time high at our school. I’m extremely excited for the upcoming season. We have some great talent coming back from last year’s team and some very talented young players coming up. I believe Panther Softball is going to be exciting and competitive for years to come. I’m grateful and excited for the opportunity to be part of it. My goal is to help these young ladies reach their dreams off and on the field and compete at a high level.”