Softball (Spring)
Head Softball Coach: Shannon Woolridge
Meet the MVP of softball coaching, Coach Shannon Woolridge! Since taking charge of the Empire team in 2013, he's swung his way to an impressive 302 and 73 record, scoring twelve State tournament appearances, and even clinching the 2015 Division III AZ State Softball Championship, the 2017 3A AZ State Softball Championship, 2024 3A AZ State Softball Championship, and 2025 3A AZ State Softball Championship.
Coach Shannon has been a Fastpitch fanatic since 2001, coaching at every level from high school to middle school. He has led his AZ Desert Thunder club softball team for more than 15 years, from 10U to 18U Gold, earning a 13th-place finish in the 2013 Premier Nationals. This superstar coach has also helped more than 40 players move to the collegiate level!
Off the field, Coach Shannon is a devoted family man, happily married to his wife Renee for 33 years and proud dad to Brittany, who played softball at Concordia University Nebraska, and Dawson, who studied Theatre and Theatre Education at Eastern Arizona and Grand Canyon University.
Email: woolridges@vailschooldistrict.org
