Henderson State University Women's Softball

Scotty Serio became the Head Coach of the Henderson State Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving in 2021, and is entering his fifth season at the helm in the 2025-26 season. In his five seasons, Serio has coached two individual National Champions, including Henderson's first ever female National Champion, while bringing the program six overall National Championships - four individual, two relay - a pair of Top-10 finishes nationally for the men and the men's first conference championship in 19 seasons. In his fourth season at Henderson, Serio led a Red Wave program to another strong season, with a total of six All-American honors earned by the Red Wave. Nojus Skirutis secured honors in both the 400-yard individual medley, and the 200-yard Butterfly, where he broke the school record with a time of 1:46.33. Patryk Dabrowski earned All-American honors in the 50-yard Freestyle. On the women's side, Kiara Pozvai secured three All-American honors, in the 50-yard Freestyle, 100-yard Free, and the 100-yard Backstroke. Pozvai secured a podium finish in the 100 Free at the NCAA Championships. In his third season at Henderson State, Serio led the Red Wave men's program to their best finish in program history at the NCAA National Championships with a seventh-place finish. Accompanying that program-best finish was three National Championships, including a men's 200-yard freestyle relay Division II National Record of 1:16.50. While at the 2023-24 National Championships, the Red Wave saw their first ever female National Champion in Kiara Pozvai as she claimed the title in the 100-yard freestyle (48.88) Preceding HSU's Nationals run, Serio led the men to their first New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference Championship since the 2004-05 season.  After just two seasons at the helm of the program, Serio had put the Red Wave on the map, producing the program's first National Champion (Lamar Taylor) since 2010. Under Serio, Taylor became the program's first ever three-time National Champion at a single Nationals meet. Serio coached the Reddie men to what was at the time their best finish in the NCAA era, garnering a program record 200 points at the National Championships. Serio's efforts earned him the New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference's Men's Swimming Coaching of the Year for the 2022-23 season. During that second season, Serio produced the NSISC's Female Swimmer of the Year (Kiara Pozvai) and Male Swimmer of the Year (Lamar Taylor). After finishing his second season in Arkadelphia, Serio served as the Bahamian Worlds Head Coach at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan during the summer of 2023. A month prior to that, Serio coached Taylor at the Bahamian National Meet in Nassau, Bahamas. Serio was hired on June 1, 2021 to succeed the legendary Coak Matthews. "I am incredibly excited to welcome Scotty Serio back to Henderson State as the next head coach of our swimming and diving programs," Director of Athletics Shawn Jones said. "Scotty is a Reddie through and through, and his passion for both this program and the University was evident throughout the search process. His wealth of experience from coaching at the highest classification of high school swimming in Texas has prepared him to lead the Red Wave into the future. Scotty checked every box for us and what we were looking for. We cannot wait to see him take this program and make it his own in the coming years." A McKinney, Texas native, Serio was a team captain during his time at HSU under Matthews in both 2012 and 2013, and said he is excited to come home for what he sees as a dream job. "This truly is a dream come true for me," Serio said. "I am eager to serve my alma mater and am honored to be entrusted with the Red Wave program that was an integral part of my development as an athlete, coach, and father." Serio is no stranger to following a coaching legend. In 2016, he took over the reins at McKinney High School from his father, Sam, who spent 33 years as head coach and led the Lions to nine district and four regional championships. In the younger Serio's five seasons at McKinney, he was twice named District Diving Coach of the Year and helped the Lions break several long-standing records at the school. Under his leadership, McKinney's women's team never failed to finish in the Top-6 of the 6-6A region and the men clinched Top-12 region results in each of the last two seasons. Before succeeding his father, Serio was an assistant coach for Prosper High School in Prosper, Texas, from 2015 to 2016, where he was named both Boys and Girls District Diving Coach of the Year. In 2014, he served as head coach for beginners and high school age students at the Metroplex Aquatics Swim Club in Allen, Texas — the second-largest club team in the state. Serio was introduced to collegiate coaching in the 2013-14 season when he served as a student assistant for the Red Wave men's and women's programs. In his time as an assistant for Henderson, Serio worked with sprint, individual medley and distance groups, helped develop multiple NCAA national qualifiers, and co-designed the Red Wave weight program. Prior to entering the coaching ranks, Serio was a stand-out in the pool for the Red Wave from 2010 to 2013. He took third-place and scored 16 points for Henderson at the 2012 NSISC Championship meet in the 1-meter dive, placed sixth in the same event at the 2013 conference championships, and had Top-10 NSISC finishes as a leg of both the 400-yard freestyle relay and 200-yard medley relay. In Serio's senior season in 2013, the Red Wave finished No. 20 in the country at the NCAA DII National Championships.

Joel Worthington begins his first season as head softball coach at Henderson State in 2024-25.  Worthington comes to Arkadelphia following four years as the head coach and sports information director at Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee. “We are incredibly excited to welcome Joel Worthington to Arkadelphia as our head softball coach,” Dutton said. “During our search process, Joel’s acumen, enthusiasm and pedigree of excellence stood out immediately. He is a perfect fit for the culture of our athletic department and will bring experience and a winning standard to our dugout. What he did in his time at Lane College was tremendous and we can’t wait to see what he can build with Reddie Softball.” In Worthington’s four years at Lane College, the program rewrote the school’s record books, setting 15 new team records and over two dozen individual records. The Dragons went 32-15 this spring and made the school’s first-ever appearance in the SIAC Championship game while also producing the SIAC Pitcher and Freshman of the Year. In 2023, Worthington led the Dragons to a school record 35 wins and was named SIAC Coach of the Year. The program also garnered the SIAC Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year honors. Lane College ranked first in Division II in batting average (.374) and third in on-base percentage (.444), and finished the season No. 1 in the SIAC in 17 statistical categories, including slugging percentage (.535), total runs (384), hits (507), home runs (31), team ERA (2.49), strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.11), and shut outs (12). During his time in Jackson, Tennessee, Worthington’s program was known for its offensive prowess and finished No. 1 in the nation in batting average in both 2022 and 2023. The .416 average that the Dragons produced in 2022 is the highest team batting average all-time in NCAA Division II. In addition to its success on the field, the Lane College softball program was responsible for the school’s last two valedictorians, placed the highest percentage of players on the President’s List since 2021, and won the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup for the highest team GPA in the SIAC.  “It is an honor to be named head softball coach at Henderson State University,” Worthington said. “I would like to thank our Director of Athletics Seth Dutton and Chancellor Dr. Trey Berry for entrusting me with leading this program. I’m confident that we can build on past success this program has experienced while elevating to new heights as we begin a new chapter of Reddies Softball.” Prior to his stint at Lane College, Worthington spent two years at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Worthington's 2017 edition of the Stillman Tigers finished 10-2 over the final 12 games of the season while hitting .455 as a team. The Tigers led the NAIA in triples per game, ranked third nationally in RBIs per game and fourth in runs scored per game. Four Stillman players were named NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athletes. Worthington began his coaching career with nine years at the high school level where he coached football and softball as well as track & field. His teams won seven area championships and four state championships during his tenures at Flint Hill Christian School (FHCS) and Tuscaloosa Christian School (TCS). He also served as the Athletic Director at FHCS and the Dean of Students at TCS. Before entering into education full-time, Worthington spent five years in theme park management, serving on projects in Alabama, Texas, California and North Dakota. A native of McCalla, Alabama, Worthington is a 2004 graduate of McAdory High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in Education from Liberty University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude, and a master's degree in Sports Management from Cumberland University.

Henderson State Softball is excited to welcome Morgan Max as the newest Graduate Assistant Coach for the 2025-2026 Season. A standout two-way player at Oklahoma Baptist University, she wrapped up an exceptional collegiate career as one of the most decorated athletes in program history. Over her three seasons at OBU, Max established herself as a force both at the plate and on the mound. She was a 2025 D2CCA Third Team All-American, NFCA and D2CCA All-Central Region First Team selection, and a two-time All-GAC first team honoree (24/25). In 2024, she was named the Great American Conference Player of the Year, while also earning NFCA Second Team All-American and D2CCA Honorable Mention All-American honors.   During her senior campaign, she started all 53 games, hitting .380 with 54 hits, 12 doubles, 13 home runs, and 53 RBI—the third-highest single-season total in OBU history. She set the program’s single-season walks record (37) and led the GAC in on-base percentage (.503), while ranking second in slugging percentage (.739). As a pitcher, she led the league with 27 games finished and posted eight saves, the most in OBU’s Division II era and one of the top marks in the nation. Her junior year was just as impressive, as she led the team with a .370 batting average, added 42 RBI, 13 doubles, and eight home runs, and struck out only five times in 146 at-bats. She also turned in a 1.40 ERA across 20 innings in the circle. As a sophomore, she hit .338 with six home runs and 37 RBI, in the circle she recorded a complete game, pitching 28 innings with 30 strikeouts.  Before transferring to OBU, Max began her collegiate career at the University of Texas-Arlington, where she made an immediate impact as a freshman pitcher. She finished with a 4-3 record and a 3.35 ERA, and was part of a combined no-hitter against Abilene Christian—only the sixth no-hitter in program history.   By the end of her career, Max cemented her place among OBU’s all-time greats, finishing fourth in home runs (27), fifth in RBI (132), and sixth in doubles (36). She graduated from Oklahoma Baptist with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science – Pre-Allied Health.   Max graduated from OBU with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science - Pre-Allied Health in 2025. Max will work closely with the Reddies’ hitters and pitchers while pursuing her graduate degree.

Maddox Tidwell enters his first season as the Assistant Swimming and Diving Coach in the 2025-26 season. While new to the Assistant role, Tidwell is not new to coaching at Henderson State. Over the last three years, he served as a volunteer coach, including helping coach the 2023-24 Red Wave men's program that won the NSISC Championship, the first since 2004-05. Tidwell was instrumental in aiding several record-breaking performances, including the recent record-breaking performance by Nojus Skirutis, who set the new 200-yard Butterfly (1:46.33) record at the 2025 NCAA Nationals. Tidwell also helped coach the 2024 NSISC Female Performer of the Year Kiara Pozvai. Under Tidwell's guidance, Pozvai shattered multiple records at Henderson, including, but not limited to, the 50-yard Freestyle (22.33), 100-yard Freestyle (48.82), 100-yard backstroke (54.17), and several relays. Pozvai was also the National Champion in the 100-yard Freestyle that year. Tidwell's crowning achievement however, was his role in the 200-yard Freestyle relay team that shattered the Division II National record. Lamar Taylor, Jack Armstrong, Jase Pinckney, and Patryk Dabrowski set the record at the 2024 NCAA Nationals, finishing with a time of 1:16.50, breaking the previous record of 1:16.90. Outside of coaching, Tidwell as an accomplished swimmer, competing for 12 years. Tidwell swam for The Woodlands club swim team, and for the Reddies during the 2021-22 season. Tidwell graduated from Henderson in the spring of 2025. 

Danni Ryan is entering her second season in the Henderson State softball program as an Assistant Coach in the 2025-26 season. In her first season as an Assistant coach, she lead a pitching staff that ranked third in ERA in the GAC (3.02), and second in saves (9), all while pitching the most innings (371.0).  Under her tutelage, Reddies' pitchers showed standout control over the plate, ranked second to last in hit batters (16). Ryan coached at Lane College from 2021–2024, where she led one of the top pitching staffs in the SIAC. Under her guidance, her pitchers shattered school records in career and single-season wins, strikeouts, ERA, saves, and shutouts. Over her tenure, her staffs posted season ERAs as low as 2.02, and several pitchers broke career records for strikeouts, totaling over 500 in just two seasons. Her pitchers consistently led the conference in key statistical categories, including ERA, strikeout-to-walk ratio, WHIP, and win-loss percentage. She coached the SIAC Pitcher of the Year in 2023 and 2024, while her staff also earned All-Conference and All-Region honors, reflecting Ryan’s ability to develop pitchers into dominant, award-winning performers and elevate the performance of the entire staff within one of the conference’s most competitive programs. Before beginning her collegiate coaching career, Ryan worked with the Los Angeles Dodgers Training Academy, where she developed athletes of all ages, refined their mechanics, and instilled a competitive mindset that has become central to her coaching philosophy. As a player, Ryan spent her freshman season at the University of Toledo before transferring to Idaho State University, where she completed her career. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Sign Language Studies and brings firsthand Division I playing experience to her coaching. Originally from Thousand Oaks, California, Ryan is currently pursuing her master’s degree at Henderson State University.