The school system is losing more than a head softball coach

 

IVAN K. RICE I doctorofsports@aol.com

 

PARIS, KY – Prior to the start of the 2025 season, Paris Ladyhounds Softball Coach Dwayne Rice, who took the program to new heights, said that this would be his last season. And last week, in a letter sent to the Paris School System’s Administration, Rice made it official.

First, let’s set the record straight. He wasn’t forced out. He wasn’t pressured to step down. He didn’t quit. Rice is retiring!

“This is no doubt one of the hardest days of my life, as I walk away from the game I have loved for over 40 years.” Rice would like everyone to know that he is officially retiring on June 30th, 2025, and his retirement will conclude his positions as head softball and bowling coach at Paris High School, as well as the Greyhound Academy Program.

Rice thanked Athletic Director Cary Barr and former Principal Jamie Dailey for giving him the opportunity to coach at Paris, a school he graduated from in 1981.

“I have been through several administrations and staff along the way, but I can’t say enough for the current administration and staff who helped take the softball program to a new level. Starting with the field being named in my honor and the current upgrades and other upgrades yet to come for the future of Paris Ladyhounds Softball.”

“I will never forget when I came back home to coach. I recall the field looking like a cow pasture. No scoreboard, no concession stands among other things, but I told my players that if you wanted pleasant things in life, it had to come with a price. They would have to work for it because nothing was given.”

Their hard work eventually paid off through fundraising activities, help from local businesses, and especially the help of the Kiwanis Club. The demanding work and late hours helped them achieve a new scoreboard, a new concession building, new dressing room for the players, along with new uniforms, and numerous team trips to Tennessee, Florida, and Texas over spring break.

 

Rice got a lot done while at Paris

Under Rice, the softball program at Paris went from pretty much nonexistence to very respectful.

From starting the Ladyhounds Hall of Fame and the Noah Johnson Memorial Classic, to scheduling up to 40 games a year, where they used to play about 15 games a season, Rice didn’t return to just be a face of the program. No, Rice returned to his alma mater to make a difference. And he did!

Rice’s softball teams won the school’s first fastpitch 40th District Softball Championship, the first All A 10th Region Championship, played in the overall 10th Region Championship game while being ranked in the state, and they were just one game shy of playing at the KHSAA state softball tournament. They reached the small school region final four times and ended long losing streaks to district heavyweights George Rogers Clark, Montgomery County, and Bourbon County, which turned out to be a magical run for the team back in 2017 and 2018.

Another team (2020) was also ready to do well and make some serious noise, but the Coronavirus shut them down and they never got their chance. “We were ready to roll that season because we had a good nucleus that we were putting on the field. Covid just messed everything up but there was nothing we could do. I just hated it for our seniors and other seniors around the state.”

 

Coach Rice understood the assignment

Rice, who also coached at Lexington Christian Academy and Henry Clay before Paris, had to deal with sharing players with other sports and other curricular activities because of being at a small school. “You just had to work with other coaches, because they needed the kids, and we (softball) needed the same kids. That’s what you must look forward to at a small school. I knew that going into the job because I had to deal with the same thing while at LCA but not so much at Henry Clay, which is a much larger school.”

Although a small school, Rice, by building his program, certainly did produce some great players, where many are now in the Ladyhounds Softball Hall of Fame and soon will be in the Greyhounds Hall of Fame.

 

He coached some very talented players

The list is long for talented players from homerun king Kailee Finch to shortstop sensation Kaylyn “KK” Shepherd, and the multitalented catcher Gloria Ponce, but Rice said that he will forever remember the most underrated athlete to ever walk the halls of Paris High School in his former star pitcher Amanda “Moo” Morgan, who still holds the school-record for career strikeouts with 1,080. In addition, “Moo” at one time, pitched 34 straight scoreless innings, with a single game high of 19 strikeouts, as she was responsible for all 21 putouts during a win over Jackson County. She was also named first team all-state twice during her career.

“That’s the type of player “Moo” was. She was dedicated, worked hard and was part of our program while in elementary school. She set records that will probably never be broken!”

Great memories that Rice can reflect on but now, he knows it’s time to let someone else do his job, a job that’s not going to be easy at Dwayne Rice Field or within the school system.

 

Rice says “thank you” to many people

“I would personally like to thank every parent that has been a volunteer and worked so hard to make Paris Softball what it is today and make this a special place for our girls. I could not have done this without them. I would also like to thank the few that have put in hours working on the field, keeping the scorebook, filming games or whatever else was needed to make us complete. Thank you to all my assistant coaches over the years for all the hours away from their families … working to make this one of the best programs at Paris High School.”

Rice went on to add that although they have been through some good times and bad times, he can feel good about every kid he coached, because now they are doctors, teachers, coaches, in the military and so on, because like he’s told all his players, “a good education will take you far in life when you can’t play the game of softball anymore.”

During his time at Paris, Rice was an assistant soccer coach, had a brief stent on the bench as an assistant boys’ basketball coach, and was instrumental in reviving the cross country and bowling program.

“Nobody will ever know how much I love every player that I have ever coached at Paris in bowling, soccer, basketball, and especially softball. They all meant so much to me!”

In closing, Rice concluded by saying he hopes the new coach will keep some of the traditions he started going, especially the Hall of Fame and Noah Johnson Classic. “Hopefully, with the help from others, the next Coach will continue these two traditions.”

 

What’s next for Coach Dwayne Rice?

“I’m not for sure but I would like to thank my family for allowing me to do the thing I have enjoyed for 40 years – taking time from my own family life but now I get to enjoy time with them.”

Rice did say that he would continue to help in any way possible to be a mentor to the next softball coaching staff, but if not, he wishes the Paris softball program nothing but the best.

 

Will he miss it?

“Yes, I’m going to miss coaching. I have made a lot of new friends through softball, especially with our fundraising events. I will cherish the moments working UK athletic events and Cincinnati Bengals football, along with the local community events. It’s just time!”

As his old former coed softball team the Lexington Rockets would say, “Hit a ball Wiz!”

At Paris High School, Rice most certainly did … without a shadow of a doubt, he most certainly did!