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ORANGEFIELD — The Texas High School Coaches Association has awarded Orangefield High School’s Sarah Nash the Assistant Coach of the Year honor.

She recently greeted Orange Newsmedia with a child on hip, leading a reporter into the gymnasium while greeting a number of students and a few other coaches.

There was obvious familiarity.

Students cooed at her baby, some ignoring Nash completely, as if the greeting were unnecessary.

Nash spoke to each student with an ease that comes when a student truly shows respect.

Nash’s parents are retired educators, her father having served as her own high school softball coach.

Nash’s sister, younger brother and husband all work as coaches and teachers.

“It’s basically in our DNA,” she said.

Sister Rebekah Ragsdale is the head softball coach at Orangefield High School and her husband is an assistant football and baseball coach with the school.

On top of coaching high school softball, Nash teaches Orangefield Junior High physical education, having studied exercise science at San Jacinto College and Lamar University. Ragsdale said Nash’s knowledge and coaching is extremely valuable to the school’s success.

Ragsdale added her assistant coaches are some of the best in the area.

The sisters acknowledge Nash’s ability to keep things fun on the field, with Nash explaining how it was extremely nice to make the “big plays” while hitting during her own softball days.

Now, she enjoys cheering from the dugout just as much.

“I know it’s selfish, I know she’ll want to be a head coach one day, I just don’t want to lose her,” Ragsdale said.

Nash said she loves it at Orangefield, adding she is “lucky and blessed to be a part of the Orangefield family. I want to raise my own family here. Our daughter will go to Orangefiel. I just want to cherish the time I’m working with [Ragsdale].”

— Written by Kylie Mugleston