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Entering his fifth year as head coach of the BYU softball team, Gordon Eakin's journey to reach this point began at the age of 6 in Salt Lake City. He began his baseball career and never looked back.
His collegiate career entailed three years at the University of Utah before he was given an opportunity most young baseball players never see. Eakin signed with the Oakland Athletics as a shortstop, beginning his professional baseball career.
"Living out that dream was pretty neat," Eakin said. "The experience in general was just great."
After three years in the minor leagues with the A's, Eakin, along with a large number of his teammates, was released as new management took over the organization.
Coming home frustrated, Eakin was presented an opportunity that would take him back to the playing field, but for a new team and in a different sport. He got a call from Larry H. Miller, who offered him a position on his softball team as a shortstop and a fourth place on the rotation.
"Softball is for girls, and I'm a baseball player," Eakin said in response to the initial call.
He finally agreed to play and began a 13-year career playing softball for the Larry H. Miller Toyota team. The team was ranked in the top 10 globally each of those years, and it provided Eakin with experiences he had never dreamed of.
"It was amazing to be able to travel the world, while playing softball for a terrific team," Eakin said.
And it was while playing a sport he had never considered, that Eakin reached the height of his success.
He played in three U.S. Olympic sports festivals (1986, 1993 and 1994) and won bronze, silver and gold, respectively. In 1994, he played in the Pan American games and won silver. The culmination of his honors came in 1998, as he was inducted into the Utah Fast Pitch Hall of Fame.
Eakin's softball experience also paid dividends in unexpected ways, as he was invited to help prepare the U.S. National Softball Team for the Olympics in 2008.
While still with Larry H. Miller, Eakin received a call from BYU about the newly established NCAA Division I softball team and the need for a coaching staff. Initially, Eakin declined the offer, but then accepted the offer to be an assistant coach after a visit to the university.
The first year of NCAA play presented several big challenges to the Cougars. They had to try to figure out a schedule and deal with the lack of proper facilities.
"Our biggest challenge was trying to put together a schedule at such a late date," Eakin said, "We had no field here. We played our home games at the field over on 900 East and 900 South in Provo, and we had to practice on a field with no real fences and no real dugouts. We really had no home."
Despite the initial challenges, the Cougars quickly rose to success, as they won the Mountain West Conference in only their second season of play.
Eakin took over as head coach during the 2003 season, and is entering his fifth year, having amassed an overall record of 158-71. As the program heads into its seventh season, he feels that it is well ahead of where it should be.
"We are a team with two conference championships and two straight regionals," Eakin said. "We are way ahead of schedule. You just don't find this in programs as young as we are."
Looking ahead to the future, Eakin said he hopes that this will become a program that competes at the highest level on a consistent basis. One of the keys to reaching this level is solid recruiting, an area he said he feels that BYU is becoming a force to be reckoned with.
"We're competing against the top schools for players, and we're winning a lot of those battles," he said.
Despite the focus on the future and achieving certain goals, Eakin said the most important thing is to make the most of where you're at.
"It's important for us to enjoy the journey and not just focus on the destination," he said.
One of the most memorable moments for Eakin came as the Cougars played at the highest level against No. 2-ranked California and won, 3-1.
"Nobody gave us a chance," Eakin said.
Coaching has provided Eakin with an opportunity to see tremendous growth in both his players and himself.
"It is amazing to see them grow, both as players and as people," he said. "These players make me a better person, because of who they are."