Bob Herrington enters his 13th season as an assistant with the Jones College softball program, helping the Bobcats to seven conference titles in the last nine seasons.

Serving as the associate head coach the past seven seasons and working primarily with pitchers, Herrington will transition to a new role in 2022 where he'll be tutoring catchers in addition to day-to-day softball duties. Herrington also serves as the Bobcats' Assistant AD for Event Management.

Under Herrington's watch, the JC pitching staff has boasted one of the nation's Top 15 earned run averages in eight straight seasons, including a 1.30 ERA and 19 shutouts during the Bobcats' 2018 national championship season.

JC had the nation's third-best ERA in 2021 (2.10), 2018 (1.30), 2017 (1.56) and 2015 (1.43) and those staffs combined for an impressive 71 shutouts, including 19 in 2021.

Not only has the JC staff been one of the nation's best in wins and ERA, but also in strikeouts. Jones was fourth in the nation in strikeouts in 2021 with 400. The Bobcats punched out 300 or more batters during the 2016-18 seasons and ranked third in the NJCAA with 352 strikeouts during the 2016 season. In 109 innings before a shortened 2020 season, JC was fifth in the nation with 96 strikeouts.

Herrington has coached five NJCAA All-Americans, including two-time selection Karli Perque, Nia Luckettt, Rachel Hayes, Ginger Lonergan and Samantha Buller. Perque was the 2017 NJCAA Division II Pitcher of the Year and signed with Memphis. She went 47-2 with a sub-1.20 ERA in her two seasons.

At least one pitcher has inked with a four-year program under Herrington since 2012. 

JC won the NJCAA Division II National Championship in 2018, ending the year at 54-3. Jones has won seven MACCC titles since 2012 and four Region 23 crowns since 2016. This past season, the Bobcats won the MACCC and Regiion 23 titles and finished runner-up in the national tournament, posting a 47-9 record.

The Bobcats were ranked No. 1 for most of the 2017 season in a record-setting year. JC went 55-4 and finished as national runner-up. They led the nation in batting average against, holding opponents to a .202 clip.

Herrington helped the 2016 Bobcats to a 50-8 record, a runner-up finish in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament, the Region 23 Tournament championship and an MACJC Tournament title. JCJC had a 1.75 team earned average, which was fifth in the nation. Rachel Hayes posted a 29-2 record with one save.

Alongside head coach Chris Robinson, the JC staff has twice been named the NFCA-NJCAA Division II Coaching Staff of the Year in 2016 and 2018.

The 2012 Bobcats were 44-11 and produced All-American pitcher, Ginger Lonergan, and All-Region 23 pitcher, Lauren Candies. They won their first-ever MACJC Championship, MACJC South Division title and made their first-ever appearance in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament.

Herrington began his coaching career in 1986 as girls’ basketball coach at Lamar School in Meridian. He then became a football and basketball assistant coach at Petal High School from 1987-90.

Herrington served as the Dean of Men and head tennis coach at JCJC from 1990-99. The Lady Bobcats were the MACJC and Region 23 champions in 1996 and would go on to finish sixth in the national tournament – the highest-ever finish for a Mississippi junior college women's program. He was selected the MACJC/Region 23 Coach of the Year that season.

Herrington then went to South Jones High School, where he served as a coach from 1999-2006. He began the girls’ fast-pitch program and served as head coach from 2001-06, compiling a 115-28 record for an .804 winning percentage.

The Lady Braves were division champions in 2002, 2003 and 2005. He coached in the 2002 and 2004 MHSAA All-Star games. Over 85 percent of South Jones’ graduating senior softball players were offered college scholarships.

From 2006-09, he served as a principal in the Jones County School District.

Herrington and his wife, Katie, former athletic director at Jones College, have a daughter, Kellie.

Former Jones College standout Tori Dew was promoted to associate head coach in August 2021 and returns for a third season in Ellisville.

Dew works primarily with hitters and infielders, and the numbers have not disappointed in her first two seasons.

Jones is coming off a national runner-up season in which they ranked in the Top 10 in the country in doubles, triples, home runs and extra-base hits, a big compliment to her work.

Three Bobcat hitters garnered 2021 NFCA All-American honors in Lauren Lindsey, Kristian Edwards and Tyesha Cole. Lindsey was also named an NJCAA Third Team All-American.

In a shortened 2020 season due to COVID-19, Jones was second in the country in home runs (43), sixth in doubles (43), seventh in RBIs (150) and hit .386 as a team. The 43 home runs were by 11 different players, with freshman Kristian Edwards' eight homers ranking third in the NJCAA.  

Dew, who prepped at Quitman High School, was named the 2014 Dudley NJCAA Division II Player of the Year when she batted .602 with 20 home runs and a 1.111 slugging percentage. She was also an NJCAA Division II First Team All-American, named to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament Team and was an All-Region 23 selection.

As a sophomore in 2015, Dew hit .474 with 15 home runs and 59 RBIs with a .932 slugging percentage. She was named an NJCAA Division II Second Team All-American, All-Region 23 and participated in the Canadian Open International Fastpitch Tournament where she was named to the All-Tournament Team. 

Dew and former Jones teammate, Lauren Holifield, received NJCAA Marucci Elite Hitting Awards following the 2015 season.

Dew played at Southern Miss in 2016-17, starting in 110 games for the Eagles and helping them to a combined 57 wins in two seasons. She was a .302 lifetime hitter with 28 doubles, three home runs and 52 RBIs. 

Off the field, Dew was a Conference USA Academic Medalist, C-USA All-Academic Team and C-USA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll recipient.

Former Division I softball student-athlete Parker Conrad enters her first season as an assistant coach for the Bobcats.

The Winter Park, Fla., native will take over pitching duties for longtime associate head coach Bob Herrington.

"I would like to first start off by thanking Dr. (Jesse) Smith, athletic director Joel Cain and coach (Chris) Robinson for providing me my first collegiate coaching job," Conrad said. "I am extremely excited to work and learn from such an experienced and successful staff. I am looking forward to using my softball experiences to teach and help guide our student-athletes to be the best softball players, students and young women they can be. My goals are to equip my players with a level of confidence in their ability to compete and demand the best out of themselves in everything they do on and off the field."

Conrad began her softball career at the University of Missouri and appeared in 19 games as a freshman. She pitched in 22 games her sophomore and junior seasons at Oklahoma, helping the Sooners to back-to-back Women's College World Series appearances, before ending her career at UAB. 

In 126.2 career innings in the circle, Conrad was 8-7 overall with two saves and punched out 130 batters. She had 80 strikeouts in her senior year at UAB, second-most on the team, and was named to the Conference USA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll and C-USA Pitcher of the Week.

Prior to her collegiate journey, Conrad played high school ball at Winter Park. Beginning varsity play as a freshman, she helped guide the Wildcats to a district title and earned team MVP honors as a sophomore. A year later, she averaged 15 strikeouts per game as a junior.

"We are thrilled to have someone with Parker's experience join our coaching staff," head coach Chris Robinson said. "She will bring tremendous energy to our program. The experience she brings to our program in the circle is unmatched. She has been under the tutelage of some of the best pitching coaches in the country and I look forward to her instilling that into our pitchers."

Conrad graduated with a bachelor of science in sociology from UAB this past spring.