May 19, 2025
By: Dwayne Page
The tradition continues!
As the 2025 DCHS Tigerette Softball Team prepares to make a run in the TSSAA Class 3A tournament Tuesday in Murfreesboro, the entire DeKalb County community will be rooting for its success. Aside from those closest to the team, perhaps none will be cheering any louder than legendary coach Danny Bond, who guided the program for the first 31 years of its existence before his retirement in 2016.
(View video here as former DCHS Softball Coach Danny Bond talks with WJLE about this year’s state tournament bound Tigerette team and the eight teams he coached in the state’s spring fling)
“This is an exciting team to watch play. I am really proud of this group,” said former Coach Bond, who often attends the Tigerettes games. “My hat’s off to Senior Tigerette pitcher Kora Kilgore who got her 300th strike out this year. I’m impressed with Kora’s dedication as an athlete and as a student with her being the Class of 2025 Valedictorian,” he said.
The Tigerettes will face McNairy Central at the Murfreesboro Sports Com McKnight Field #1 Tuesday, May 20. Game time is 1 p.m. and WJLE will have LIVE coverage with the Voice of the Tigerettes John Pryor. Listen LIVE on WJLE AM 1480/FM 101.7 and on the LIVE audio stream at www.wjle.com.
This will be the 9th state tournament appearance for the DCHS softball program and the first for Tigerette Coach Ethan Duke and Assistant Danielle Horton.
Under Coach Bond, the Tigerettes made their spring fling debut in 1992 with return trips to the state tournament in 1994, 1996, 2001, 2008, 2014, 2015, and 2016. Over the years, Coach Bond was assisted by Danny Fish, who later followed Bond as a successful Tigerette head softball coach in his own right, along with other assistants and those who helped including Lynus Martin, Kim McCoy, Amy Tobitt and Melissa Ruch. In the early years before the high school softball field was developed, the Tigerettes played at the Bill Page Ballpark and Coach Bond gave special recognition to both Bill and Joann Page (now deceased) for their help during that time.
Coach Bond said he can relate to how Coach Duke and Assistant Coach Horton must feel as they prepare the Tigerettes to play on high school softball’s biggest stage in Tennessee.
“In 1992 we had eight seniors on the team. We played at Warner Field in Chattanooga. For us, we were like deer in headlights. It was our first trip to the state tournament, and we saw some very good teams down there. It was double elimination like it is today and we went 0-2. We were eliminated in the loser’s bracket by Knoxville Gibbs on a questionable call. That was the only time I ever got thrown out of a game by an umpire or referee,” said Coach Bond.
“After 1992, we went back to the state tournament a total of seven times and all through those years we had some great athletes, which you must have to get to that point. But especially 2016 I thought we had a good chance of winning it. We had a good makeup of players, went 2-2 in the tournament, and finished around 4th place. If I had to pick the best team during my time the 2016 team was probably the most successful at that level,” said Coach Bond.
In his 31 winning seasons as softball coach, Bond compiled an overall win-loss record of 680-258-1 (.725). His District win-loss record was 293-56 (.840). For his accomplishments, the DCHS high school softball field was named the “Danny Bond Field” in 2014 by the Board of Education in tribute to the legendary coach.
Other Achievements over those 31 years:
*17 Regular Season District Titles
*15 District Tournament Titles
*24 Region Tournament Appearances
*6 Region Tournament Titles
*12 Sub-State Appearances
*8 Sub-State Titles
*8 State Tournament Appearances
*1 State Final Four Appearance