Antionette Watson Steps Down as Edmonds Softball Skipper
LYNNWOOD -- After three historic seasons, head softball coach Antionette Watson has recently stepped down for personal reasons.
Prior to the Fall of 2023 Watson was elevated from incoming associate head coach to interim head coach and went on to serve as the skipper for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Watson was an assistant coach with the program in 2018-19 when the team made it to the NWAC Championship Game. The former two-time All-Region Triton catcher (2015-16) captained both those squads before moving on to NCAA DII Notre Dame de Namur University. Watson's contributions as player and coach will not be forgotten. Under her leadership Edmonds softball was reignited and regained the top spot in the region with three consecutive North Championships.
This past spring was a record-setting season on many fronts. The team's 40-4 record goes down as the top winning percentage in program history. Their 40 wins are second overall. Other milestones were the undefeated 28-0 record in the North Region play and the longest winning streak ever with 21. The offense was a juggernaut and broke nearly all offensive team categories. Sophomore Scarlette Chapman rewrote single season individual records in home runs (29), batting average (.577), RBIs (106), on-base percentage (.606), and slugging percentage (1.253). Chapman was the NWAC regular season batting champion, home run leader, and held the highest slugging percentage.
"I'm leaving Edmonds College feeling humbled. No one took it easy on me in the NWAC and in return it made me a better coach and made our program better. I'm thankful for all the players, parents, and coaches that stuck with me and trusted me as their head coach," said Watson.
"Some of my favorite memories are winning the North Region title for the first time since 2018 and playing UW softball twice, including my home plate meetings with Coach Tarr. I will never forget snowtubing with our team at Snoqualmie Pass. Congratulations to all the players that moved on to the next level – I wish you nothing but the best!"
In all, Watson compiled an impressive 104-33 overall record and holds the all-time highest winning percentage for a coach at .759. The team placed 7th overall in 2024 and 5th in 2026.
She was the North Region Coach of the Year twice (2024, 2026) and helped 26 players receive All-Region recognition, including Jordyn Relethford's Pitcher of the Year honor in 2024 and Scarlette Chapman's MVP in 2026. Aliya Boonsripisal was the first player in program history to win back-to-back National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American Gold Glove awards at shortstop (2025, 2026). Boonsripisal and Scarlette Chapman were the first Tritons in recent years to win NFCA All-American awards at shortstop and second base in 2026. Under her guidance 10 student-athletes have moved on to play at four-year universities to date.
"Ant bleeds Triton blue; we are so grateful for her service to our softball program. It is very rewarding to see former players come back and have success as coaches. Ant is a special person who did special things here at Edmonds. I'm excited for her next chapter in life. She will continue to be successful at whatever she chooses to do," said Athletic Director Spencer Stark.
The search for the next head coach has been completed and will be officially announced as soon as possible.
Thank you, Coach Watson!