Wallace State Community College has hired former Birmingham-Southern College coach Megan Curry to lead its softball program, President Dr. Vicki Karolewics announced on Thursday. Additionally, Sarah Cespedes has been hired as assistant coach. 

Curry joins a program fresh off a championship season in the Alabama Community College Conference.

Wallace State tallied its fourth straight ACCC crown — and 16th overall — en route to advancing to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) World Series for the 16th time in program history. The Lions have won two NJCAA Division I national championships.

“I am very excited to be at Wallace State,” Curry said. “It’s a blessing to be a part of such a winning culture and great success rate. I just want to continue that.” 

Curry added that her coaching philosophy is person first, player second. 

“We’re just trying to grow young women and prepare them for what’s next,” she said. “If we can do both of those things, a lot of greatness will come.” 

Curry comes to Wallace State after a successful first season at BSC, where she was named the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Coach of the Year. She led the Panthers, who finished runner-up in the conference, to a 24-17 record, including a 13-5 mark in SAA play. 

Before her stint at Birmingham-Southern, Curry served as head softball coach at Asbury University and as assistant softball coach at Mercer University and her alma mater, Samford University, where in 2023 she was inducted into the university’s Hall of Fame. 

As a player at Samford, she was on the 2016 NCAA Division I Southern Conference championship team.

She was named the 2016 Southern Conference Softball Player of the Year and to the 2016 NFCA All-Regional South First Team. From 2014-2016, she was a first-team All-Southern Conference selection.

While at Samford, Curry broke single-season records for hits, batting average, at-bats, doubles and stolen bases. In her career, she broke records for hits, at-bats and triples. 

She graduated from Samford in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in sports administration and from Asbury University in 2024 with a master’s degree in business administration, specializing in sports management. A native of Louisville, Ky., and raised in Paducah, she moved to Fairhope in 2006, graduating from Fairhope High School in 2012. Her husband, Parker Curry, formerly played in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and is now on the UAB baseball staff. They have one daughter. 

Cespedes, meanwhile, brings with her a specialty in coaching softball pitchers. She also served as assistant coach under Curry at Birmingham-Southern and provided key support for that program’s success. 

“I’m just so excited to continue the championship legacy that Wallace State always had and to do it alongside Megan,” Cespedes said. “I’m excited to see what things are in store for us next.” 

Prior to joining the BSC coaching staff, Cespedes played for five years at UAB, pitching 401 2/3 innings with a 3.33 ERA and 294 career strikeouts. 

Cespedes has roots in the area. Her grandfather, Fred Cespedes, a retired executive at American Proteins, is credited with helping Wallace State establish its poultry science partnership with Auburn University.