Bio

Describing her journey to Cowley College as divine intervention, former Arkansas City High School and Lady Tiger softball standout Jacey (Juden) Dauphin will be inducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, January 18.

Learning softball from her father, Bob, who guided the Arkansas City High School softball team to four state titles, Jacey Juden was a natural in the sport.

“Honestly, I don’t ever remember “starting” softball. It was just something that was always a part of our family,” Jacey said. “Dad and I began pitching lessons with Rhod Buser when I was seven, but as far as throwing, hitting, taking ground balls-fly balls; that was always just what we did. I went with dad to practice since I was old enough to remember. If we weren’t at practice, we were playing catch in the yard or hitting at the cage. It was just a way of life for us.”

Jacey played high-level softball throughout the year traveling the country with the Wichita Mustangs 18 Gold team from the time she was 14. At Ark City High School, she was a four-time All-League selection, three-time All-League MVP, four-time All-State selection, and helped the Bulldogs to back-to-back Class 5A State Championships (2006 & 2007). At the time she had the Kansas State Sports Hall of Fame pitching records for most consecutive wins (47), most career shutouts (50), single season shutouts (19), and single season ERA (0.06).

“Playing for my dad was an experience I had always looked forward to and it certainly didn’t disappoint,” Jacey said. “Bless him for not killing me some days, but we had some of the best experiences of my life during our time together on the Bulldog softball field, too.”

After high school Jacey took kind of a curvy road on her path to Cowley. Out of high school, she signed a five-year full ride scholarship to play softball at the University of Arkansas. She went to Fayetteville in August, started school and practice, had a good time and was very successful in her endeavors there. However, after a month being at Arkansas, she ended up coming home.

“I called Ed (Hargrove) on the way home from Arkansas and asked if he had an opening for another pitcher. He said he did, and the next day I was at practice as a Tiger,” Jacey said. “At the time, I didn’t know exactly why I had come home. Yet, there was just something that made me come home. Looking back on life from the present, I now believe there was some divine intervention in my journey.”

Jacey suffered a tragic loss when her brother, Tyler, was killed in Afghanistan in 2009.

“The summer of 2009 was the last time I got to live life with my brother. He watched me play for a national championship in May, and he was with me as I was named an NJCAA All-American and the Greater Wichita Area College Female Athlete of the Year,” Jacey said. “I spent a week with him in South Carolina in June and the last time I saw him was the Fourth of July, 2009. Had I been playing softball at Arkansas, none of the things I experienced with him that summer would have taken place. I was afforded those opportunities due to being at Cowley, and I think God knew. He sent me home.”

As for the return home to play softball, it proved to be a wise decision as Jacey ended up as one of the most dominant pitchers in the history of the Cowley College softball program. She compiled a record of 43-10 during her two years on the mound and was a unanimous Jayhawk East Most Valuable Player selection each year at the school and was named an All-American as a sophomore.

The right-hander still holds three pitching records at Cowley. Along with her success on the mound, Jacey was a feared hitter at the plate as evidenced by her 12 career home runs and 99 runs batted in. The dual-threat athlete helped the Lady Tigers to a two-year record of 94-17.

“I always felt like I got a second chance with Jacey and was very fortunate to coach her for two years considering she signed with Arkansas out of high school,” legendary Lady Tiger softball coach Ed Hargrove said. “Jacey was very coachable and because of that she was a team leader due to her work ethic and positive attitude both on and off the field. That could have been because she played for her dad in high school, but I’ve seen that go the other way too.”

Jacey enjoyed the opportunity to play softball at Cowley for coach Hargrove.

“Ed Hargrove is a wonderful person. He and his program chose to take me in at a time when they didn’t have to,” Jacey said. “He had a highly capable squad without me, but he took me in and made me a part of what they had. The Cowley family and the softball team embraced me so wonderfully and made my transition there such a great one. Some of the best times of my life were spent as a Cowley Tiger, under the direction of Coach Ed, and for that I am forever grateful.”

After Cowley, she signed a softball/rodeo letter of intent at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Jacey helped lead the Lady Rangers to a conference title in her only year of softball at NWOSU.

“My success throughout my entire career came most definitely from the people around me-my coaches, who taught me so much about the game and gave me the opportunity to be on the field and do what I love, and my teammates, who were there every step of the way-were vital to my success,” Jacey said. “Every pitch I threw was caught by someone; every run scored was because of somebody being on base and somebody at the plate getting the job done. My success was one of the farthest things from a one man job there was, and I am so grateful for the wonderful teammates that surrounded me throughout my career. Finally, any success I had as a softball player, or a person in general, can be attributed to my family. The example set by my parents of what it means to have a dream and work hard to attain it, the long hours they put in with me to practice, travel to practice, games, tournaments, camps, and the amount of money they invested in a chance; in a passion. I can never thank them enough.”

Jacey obtained an Associate’s Degree from Cowley and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Health and Sports Science Education from NWOSU.

She is currently in her fifth year of teaching and coaching softball at Vici High School in Oklahoma where she has led the team to a state tournament appearance.

“Teaching and coaching was all I ever knew,” Jacey said. “Both my mom (Reatha) and dad were teachers and high school coaches and it was a passion I guess you could say I came by honestly.”

Jacey and her husband, Marc, reside south of Woodward, OK, with their son, Easton 2, and daughter, Oaklee, who is six months old.

Jacey considers being a Cowley Tiger softball player an honor and a privilege. She is honored to have been chosen for the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame.

“Many different emotions come to me when I think about the opportunity to be recognized among this group of athletes and coaches,” Jacey said. “I was never one to worry about any individual accolades or achievements as a player. Those things seemed so irrelevant in a team setting. To be among the athletes in the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame is such an amazing honor to me; I can’t even completely wrap my head around it yet. But it also makes me so happy for my team. I hope they all chalk this up to a victory in their win column, as well, because, in a way, they get to come with me. Because without them, none of this would be possible.”