WINTER HAVEN – Jeff Ellis is no stranger to coaching softball games at the Winter Haven DiamondPlex. For the first time on Saturday, he'll be the head coach in the visiting dugout.
The winningest coach in Polk State Softball history, Ellis will be on hand for the Eagles' home opener on Saturday – as the opponent. Now in his fourth season as the head man at South Georgia State College, Ellis will make his first appearance at Polk State since leaving the program in 2016.
"It's a nice trip to start the season," Ellis said. "It will be somewhat emotional; I have a lot of good friends still in the area. There were so many great people involved that made the program a success."
Ellis coached at Polk State from 2009 to 2016, leading the program to 265 wins and four Suncoast Conference championships. Polk State won at least 40 games in four of his seasons on campus.
"Seeing what Jeff accomplished here motivates me to get Polk State Softball back to where it should be," second-year Polk State Head Coach Kevin Lewis said. "He had great success and really showed what's possible here. I'm excited to have him back here and I hope he's proud to see the way we're rebuilding the program."
Ellis coached nine NJCAA All-Americans during his time at Polk State, including Cat Floyd, 2014 NJCAA Player of the Year Stephanie Koutsoumbaris, and future Olympian Greta Cecchetti. In 2014, Ellis surpassed Polk State legend Laurel Smith as the program's all-time wins leader. Looking back, however, Ellis said he's most proud of the people his players became off the field.
"I'm so proud of the people we had come through the program," Ellis reflected. "My favorite day was always graduation day and having the opportunity to see them walk across the stage with their degrees. I was blessed to coach so many great people and I'm so proud of who they've all become."
As Ellis will be on Saturday, Lewis was also once the head coach in the visiting dugout. In 2023, Lewis brought Hocking College to Polk State for a doubleheader. Less than a year later, he was tabbed to lead the Eagles.
"Kevin knows what it takes to be successful," Ellis said. "The key to any college program is recruiting. Polk County has the best high school softball in the state of Florida. You have to keep the local players home and Kevin understands that. He's going to have a great career at Polk State."
Polk State's 2025 roster includes three incoming freshmen from Polk County, who will be making their home debuts on Saturday. Lewis said he and Ellis ran into each other several times during the offseason. It was then that they decided to schedule a contest against one another.
"We recruited at a lot of the same places this summer," Lewis recalled. "We got to talking. He wanted to come play games in Florida to start the season and we made it happen."
Both Polk State and South Georgia State will open their seasons on Friday. The Eagles will play three games in Madeira Beach as part of the JUCO Classic. South Georgia State will play a doubleheader in Avon Park against South Florida State College. Game times for Saturday's doubleheader are 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
"I'm really looking forward to coming back," Ellis concluded. "Winter Haven and Polk State will always be my second home. It was a fun eight years with a lot of great memories. What made it great was the people I met along the way. It will always be a special place to me."
