Head coaches Brandon Pipkin and Mike Showers hang up their hats following their Spring 2024 seasons. Pictured on the left is Paige Pipkin as she hands a plaque to her father Brandon Pipkin during a ceremony recognizing his 22 years of coaching softball. Pictured on the right is Alyssa Music with her father, Showers, during years she played tennis.
By Kendall Patterson
CCI Sports Editor
With the Spring 2024 Chester County High School Sports season coming to a close a couple weeks ago, two long-time coaches of CCHS retired their coaching hats, CCHS Softball Coach Brandon Pipkin and CCHS Tennis Coach Mike Showers.
Pipkin coached softball for a total of 22 years, leading his team to state five times (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2016.) In the year of 2013, his team made it all the way to being third in the state.
Showers coached tennis for 18 years with having tennis players that he coached represent Chester County at TSSAA Spring Fling during 2022 and 2023.
While coaching, both coaches were able to have the experience of coaching their daughters during high school.
Pipkin coached his daughters Paige Pipkin and Kara Pipkin while Showers coached his daughter Alyssa Music.
Paige and Alyssa explained the love their fathers had for their sports.
“Of course, dad played baseball in college at Jackson State and Lambuth University, but, he has actually said he just likes the game of softball a lot better than baseball. He thinks it’s a faster-paced and a more exciting game than baseball. He even watches softball on tv whenever it’s on,” Paige said.
“Tennis has always been so much more than just a sport to my dad, Alyssa said. “The majority of the time, a coach is going to have favorites. My father genuinely loves every player he has ever had. My father has always said he’d rather lose every game and love his team than win and not have a team that cheers each other on and loves the game. He has a unique ability to pull a bunch of random kids and turn them into a true team that cheers each other on and is so excited to see each other succeed and also supports each other through a loss. If I had to tell you my dad’s favorite part of coaching the team, I think it would be when he’d drive by on a random Saturday, or any day of the week, and he’d see kids out there practicing. It was never about the wins for him, though he has plenty of those too. He just loved the game and coaching others to love tennis as well.”
The state trip she took as a junior was a favorite memory of hers, but it was not the best she said.
“One of my favorite softball memories with my dad was going to state my junior year of high school, but I think the best memories were getting boiled peanuts before games and riding together to away games when we didn’t take a bus,” Pipkin said.
The feeling of joy Alyssa had every time she saw her father’s smile, whether it be after a win or a loss, is the memory she will treasure.
“If I had to sum up four years of memories of playing tennis with my dad, I’d say this says it all. I was coming off the court after a loss, and my dad had a big smile on his face. He started telling me all the things that he was so excited about that he’d seen in that match. ‘You wouldn’t have been able to return those serves last year, but you did in that match!’ It was never about me or any other player winning that made him proud. He was proud of our personal improvements and successes. He always cheered me on the same whether I was winning or losing, as long as I was trying my best,” she said.
The bond between a father and daughter is special and Alyssa and Pipkin said how they will treasure the time they had with their fathers in their respective sports.
“Playing for your dad is special as a daughter. Playing for my dad was extremely fun. We got to share wins, talk about practices and games. And when I did something good, I loved seeing how proud he was of me. He’s always believed in me, as he did with many of his former players. There’s just not many like him and I’m thankful to not only have him as a coach, but as a dad too,” Pipkin said.
Alyssa also expressed her feelings on playing with her dad.
“My dad and I have never been very athletic, but we both love tennis. I will cherish all the time I got to spend with him over those four years with the greatest coach I have ever known. I got to learn not only how to be a phenomenal coach but also how to be a phenomenal Christian example,” Alyssa said.
