Florida A&M University softball coach Veronica Wiggins is no stranger to accolades. She is fastly approaching 600 wins for her career as the Lady Rattlers' head coach. With nine MEAC titles and seven NCAA tournament appearances, Wiggins has seen many changes come and go, including the transition from slow pitch to fast pitch.
Wiggins, who served on the NCAA tournament selection committee for four years (2008-2011), has been appointed to the NCAA softball rules committee. She will begin service in September of this year and serve a four year term.
"It feels awesome," a very humbled Wiggins said. "It is a privilege to be given the opportunity to further our sport," she added.
The Lady Rattlers are off to a good start this season. Sitting at 8-5, with close losses to ranked competition, Wiggins' team is on a four game winning streak. With a reconstructed team from last season, the Lady Rattlers are determined to reclaim the MEAC title.
The opportunity to be a part of the NCAA's governance is an honor not taken lightly. Wiggins welcomes the responsibility that comes with the nomination. "This will give me more insight into the sport and the rules and regulations that govern it. It's exciting to be a part of the body that examines the current rules and makes recommendations for changes to those rules as they may benefit the future of our sport," she said.
A native of Miami, Wiggins began her softball career in seventh grade playing on a recreation league team with the YMCA. She openly admits that at the start, she had little talent for the game, but was taught the fundamentals of it. That was the beginning of her philosophy on the sport of softball.
"Give me a young woman who has goals, who wants something out of life, and I can teach her the game," Wiggins said. Her dedication to academics has contributed to her longevity. She says she gets even more joy when her young ladies mature and graduate as she does when they excel on the field.
One of her prized former student-athletes is Brittney Newby. Newby recently became the first African-American female to be admitted to the University of Florida's prestigious M.D.-Ph.D. program after graduating summa cum laude from FAMU in 2009. The program is so distinguished that only eight students are admitted each year.
Wiggins has a .774 MEAC winning percentage since taking the helm in 1992. In just her second season as the head coach of the softball team, Wiggins turned the program around as it went from winning nine games in 1992, to 34 in 1993. It is one of the most historic turnarounds in all of college athletics. In 1997, her most fabled team took down several top-ranked opponents, including Florida State University. That team won a FAMU record 43 games and went on to win the MEAC tournament and make it to the NCAA play-in game.