Wade Johnson will soon be preparing for his 15th and final year of coaching softball at Rock Creek after recently receiving coaching Hall of Fame honors for the second time in his highly-successful career.
Just a few short weeks ago Johnson was added as an Oklahoma Fast Pitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame honoree, adding to the Slow Pitch Hall of Fame recognition that he received in 2017.
Beginning his 27th year overall, Johnson has been one of the top coaches on both sides of the state of Oklahoma, earning Small School Coach of the Year honors in both the east and west and a playoff record of 107-49. He began his career with a pair of seasons at Apache before moving onto Sterling where he continued the Lady Tigers tradition as a powerhouse while winning two state titles and finishing runner-up three times. While there he also guided Sterling’s team to the 16-and-under AAU national championship in 2006.
Upon arrival he returned the Rock Creek program as a state tournament regular while capturing both fastpitch and slowpitch championships in 2014. During his tenure the Lady Mustangs have reached state four times in fast pitch and five times in slow pitch.
“I have been very fortunate in my career to coach some tremendous players,” Johnson commented. “A lot of great kids that I really enjoyed helping shape their careers. Every year has its memories. There have been so many outstanding kids that have come through everywhere that we have been.”
That group for Johnson has included producing 13 All State honorees as well as three (Ashlyn Robinson at Rock Creek, Lori Ann Derrico at Sterling and Jaci Wood at Apache) which signed Division 1 college scholarships.
While it has been a tremendous journey in which he has racked up an overall fastpitch coaching record of 542-231 (a .701 winning percentage), Johnson says the upcoming 2026-27 year will be his final as a coach before officially retiring.
“I’m planning to coach one more year and then be able to watch my grandkids play,” he added.
