‘It’s my time to give back’: Megan Dedrick becomes Archbishop Murphy’s new softball coach

Megan Dedrick’s name is not uncommon in Snohomish County.

From 2012-16, she played on the Everett High School baseball team, staying in her own lane and enjoying the sport she grew up playing, despite receiving puzzled looks from opposing teams. A baseball field with a pitching mound was what Dedrick was accustomed to, not a softball field with a circle.

She tried softball for the first time in middle school but didn’t fully commit to it until she joined Everett Community College’s program in the spring of 2017. An ACL injury in the winter leading up to Dedrick’s freshman season benched her until she came back in 2018 and produced league-dominating numbers. She then accepted a scholarship to play softball at Loyola Marymount University from 2018-22.

Fast-forward to the summer of 2024, an opportunity to become a softball coach in Everett arose, and Archbishop Murphy Athletic Director Jeff Latta, who previously managed the team, handed the reins over to Dedrick.

“It’s a cool opportunity for me because I don’t have a whole lot of coaching experience — just a ton of playing experience — so I’m excited to relate to the girls,” she said. “I like softball. It’s done so much for me, and it’s my time to give back.”

Dedrick first took up baseball around 4 years of age, progressing her skills as a pitcher and infielder for in North Everett Little League. At home, she spent countless hours throwing and catching on the rebounder net while also having her mother’s and father’s support in her athletic aspirations. Her mother played soccer and tennis. Her father, Jim, spent more than 10 years in the professional baseball scene, first being drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 1990 in the 33rd round as the 873rd overall pick. He made his MLB debut in 1995 for the Orioles and then continued to work internally with the MLB as a scout.

Dedrick and the Everett Seagulls never advanced to the postseason during her four years, but she was a team captain her senior season and earned All-Wesco honors as a junior and senior. She chose the softball route once she arrived to EvCC, and the year after her injury, her numbers didn’t falter in a new environment. Not only did she end her community college career with a .494 batting average, 11 home runs and 48 RBI in 48 games, she also was named the 2018 Northwest Athletic Conference North Region Most Valuable Player.

In all her years at LMU, Dedrick played in 172 games, starting in all of them except two, and she recorded 449 at-bats, 87 runs, 127 hits, 25 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 73 RBI and 18 stolen bases. She was named to the West Coast Conference’s first team and All-Academic first team her senior year in 2021.

“I wanted my playing to speak for itself. I didn’t just want to be known as the girl on the team. I just wanted to be known as a player,” said Dedrick about her decision to switch from baseball to softball after high school. “I had a great time at Everett playing baseball because I grew up playing with most of those guys. And they just treated me like another player. But I knew if I proceeded in baseball, it would just be more stories on me, and I didn’t want that. I wanted to play softball just as a player and as an athlete and see how far I could get. … It was definitely more free (in softball) just not having the spotlight because I had a blonde ponytail.”

However, that blonde, pony-tailed girl who people questioned if she was “really on the (baseball) team because (she) was a good player or if it was just because (she) was a girl and wanted the attention” proved The Sandlot scene wrong about playing ball like a girl.

In the spring of 2025, Dedrick will use her playing experiences at the high school and college levels to lead Archbishop Murphy on a new path in Wesco 3A/2A. The Wildcats made state each year between 2002-07, finishing runner-up in 2002 as a 1A program. Since then, Archbishop Murphy advanced to the Class 2A District 1 tournament from 2022-24 but hasn’t been able to advance to state. Last season, the Wildcats finished 3-12 in league and 5-17 overall.

“Challenge accepted,” Dedrick said.

“I can relate to (the players) because I’m only a few years out of college and being coached. My last season of softball at LMU, my coach really pushed me to take freshman and help them out and teach them and coach them, which helped me just see the game differently and helped me as a player also,” she said. “Being on the field is a privilege, and I really want to help gals have fun and learn about the game but also help them know how to work hard to be successful in life too.

“I got in trouble a lot just for wanting to have fun on the field,” Dedrick continued. “‘Winning is fun.’ That’s what one of my coaches used to tell me. And I just want girls to work hard and have fun. And winning is very fun, but you got to enjoy what you’re doing. I’m blessed that I never had to play travel ball. But a lot of these gals are travel ballers. And I think that burnout is so common in this sport, so if we don’t have fun and if I don’t teach them well on just enjoying the game and enjoying what they can do for each one of the gals, then I’m not going to do my job right.”