Inductees

In 1940, noted American author Thomas Wolfe posthumously published the classic novel You Can’t Go Home Again, a book about an author who writes a novel which frequently makes unflattering references about his hometown and its citizens. The central character, George Webber, becomes an outcast in his own town and is driven from his home.

North Shelby High School softball coach Angie Resa, a 1982 North Shelby graduate, apparently never read Wolfe’s work, because she went home and authored her own book, one about championships and off-the-field successes in 20 seasons at her high school alma mater.

From 1991-2011, Resa won a pair of state championships with North Shelby, and earned a runner-up finish in 1998. During her 25-year career she won nearly 350 games and not once did any of her teams have a losing season. Additionally, she was instrumental in founding the Missouri High School Fastpitch Coaches Association.

All of this is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame prouldy inducted Resa as a member of the Class of 2024.

After being advised about making a quick return home after she graduated from Truman State University in 1986, Resa spent her first four seasons out of college at South Shelby High School, spending the final two years coaching the softball team.

“My advisors told me that I shouldn’t go back to my alma mater until I got some experience at another school,” Resa said. “So that is what I did.

“The main reason I wanted to go back to North Shelby is because I wanted to be in the same district where my children would be attending. I really wanted to coach softball when I returned but that meant they would have had four different coaches in four years.”

Instead, Resa spent three years coaching junior high basketball before the softball job came open again.

After a few seasons implementing her program, the Lady Raiders found success on the state level in 1998.

“I felt like we had teams before then that were capable of making it to the Final Four, but we just couldn’t seem to break through districts,” she said. “I knew if we could just find a way out, we could advance to the Final Four.”

That breakthrough came in ‘98, and Resa and the Lady Raiders seized on it, reaching the finals of the state tournament before falling in the championship game.

North Shelby wouldn’t have to wait long for its next opportunity. In 2000, the Lady Raiders finally captured their first state title, buzz-sawing their way through the bracket. North Shelby outscored its opponents 31-1 in four state tournament games, downing Worth County, 3-1, in the championship tilt. They finished the year with a 27-2 record.

“That team was on a mission all year,” Resa said. “Most of them were on the 1998 team and when we lost the district title game in 1999 by one run, they were determined they were going back to state in 2000.”

Four years later, Resa and the Lady Raiders were back at it again, winning the program’s second title in five years. While all state championships are meaningful, this one was extra special as Resa’s daughter, Kelsey, was the squad’s pitching ace. It remains one of her most memorable experiences as a coach.

“Without a doubt the most rewarding experience was having my daughter pitch in the state championship game of 2004,” Resa said.

But Resa was more than just a high-quality coach. She added to her legacy when she helped form the MHSFCA in 2001 after fallout from All-State voting.

“Being part of the formation of the MHSFCA was important to me because I wanted softball players to be able to get the same All-State recognition that other sports in the state received,” she said. “Five coaches met in Columbia in the spring of 2001 to set up some guidelines for forming a coaches association with our first priority to select an All-State team. Since then, we have grown to have our own clinic, sponsor a senior showcase and award scholarships to senior players.”

Resa went back to South Shelby in 2011 before retiring from coaching in 2016.

Her coaching career has provided a lifetime of memories. But her best ones are of the players and their journeys.

“I’m sure most coaches will agree with me, that one of the best parts of this job is watching the freshmen grow and develop through their senior year,” she said, “not only as players but as strong young women knowing they can accomplish anything if they work hard.”