GREEN COVE SPRINGS - Clay High softball coach Matt Lewis's fondest memory during his 30-year coaching career that included a state title and a handful of district and region titles, plus Final Four invites, was a dugout moment between daughter Sydney and her Blue Devils teammates.

"Sydney was a freshman, I think we were playing Ridgeview, and she had baserunners at second and third, and we were down by one run in the seventh," Lewis said. "Her senior teammates got her in the dugout and said you better get a hit. She laced a single, got both runners in and we won. No pressure there, but she came through."

After finishing four years as a Blue Devils' first baseman, Sydney turned a college career into a coaching stint at Lake Asbury Junior High and a seat in dad's dugout for Clay High games.

"I don't know if I would join her at Lake Asbury or if she would continue to coach here," Lewis said. "We haven't had that talk yet."

Lewis, with a somewhat surprising district title in his final season from a young group of athletes, says his approach was to always kind of mold those in his dugout to, first, have a competitor's attitude, and second, keep working on making their skill set improving as the year progressed. With three losses in a row prior to the district tournament, Lewis saw his team respond big.

"This year we had just three seniors and a whole bunch young, hungry kids on the team," said Lewis, with a final 10-15 season record. "We had a rough start, but then things started to come together. The district title was big, and the region playoff game was about as tough an effort as I could have asked for (a 2-1 loss to Arnold). We lost three in a row, then won two before the region playoff. I can go out like that and smile."

Lewis' 2001 Class 4A title, a 3-2 win over now-6A powerhouse Bartow High, came with its own dramatics with the Blue Devils down 2-1 in the seventh in the region final against Pensacola Pine Forest.

"Angela Coleman got on, stole second, stole third and a wild pitch got the tying run," Lewis said. "In the eighth, Christina Thompson (now Clay County School District Athletic Director) and Kristen Ervin both hit doubles for the win."

Clay moved to win the state semifinal 4-1 over Gibson East Bay before facing Bartow.

"East Bay had Mandy Schuerman on the mound, a University of Florida standout and the state strikeout record holder at the time," Lewis said. "We just small-balled her- get on base, moved runners and put three runs up in the first inning, then played incredible defense."

Against Bartow, Lewis got a 2-0 lead into the seventh with Bartow scoring one for the final 2-1.

"Bartow has been a powerhouse forever," Lewis said. "They had a girl named King that went to Alabama that drilled a homer in the seventh on the first pitch and I went Uh-Oh. We held though."

Lewis' start as Clay's coach in 1996 happened by way of an injury to the presumed new coach, Bob Glod, who took a tumble in the Clay High football grandstand locking up the stadium after football.

"Bob had his doctor say no coaching and when we came back from Christmas break, I was told I was the new softball coach," Lewis said. "I told them I didn't know anything about softball, and they said you played college baseball, didn't you? That was it."

Lewis opened at 6-16 but got the formation of his dream team the following year, one being pitcher Cindy Hudgins, who powered the team three years later to the 2001 state title.

"Four years, region final twice and here's the difference," Lewis said. "Amber Pittman came in as a freshman, hit .280 by her junior year, then .410 in her senior season. They all just got better and better and all of a sudden, I was a great coach. Hudgins was just Hudgins."

Hudgins was a dominating force on the mound, said Lewis, and a whole bunch of other people, with a 20-2 season in that 2001 state title run with a broken back, a 0.63 earn runs average with 190 strikeouts before heading to University of North Florida.

In the Bartow state championship game, after the seventh inning homer, Hudgins got a visit from Lewis on the mound.

"She was crying like crazy on the mound," Lewis said. "I thought, Oh God, here we go. I calmed her down. Strikeout, single, ground out and a slow grounder to finish the game."

Lewis recollected his stats; State title, three Final Fours, 19 region playoffs, nine district titles and 14 seasons of 20 wins or more and a 551-284 record (66%).

Lewis' state champion team had Hudgins go to UNF, Thompson to FAU, then return home to win state title as coach at Oakleaf High, Angela Black to FAMU, Lisa Drunkards to Jacksonville among his remembered graduates.

"Ashley Stokes, who went to St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia as a pitcher, was probably the most dominant pitcher of her era here," Lewis said. "Tera Powell, I think, still has the base steals record at Presbyterian (named to Big South All Decade team) and now Gabby Ellis is one of top pitchers at University of Michigan. Christina Thompson was lights out best shortstop."

Infielder Katlyn Morgan was remembered as his most colorful player.

"She was always playing hard but always had a smile and [was] always a great dugout teammate," Lewis said. "She was fun to coach."

One of Lewis's fondest player memories that he has coached against was Middleburg's Briana Little, a power hitter, who also played at Florida.

"She put a dent in my scoreboard one year," Lewis said. "We also played against Mandarin's Kellie Wilkerson, a big bat who went to Mississippi State (a four-time All-American, All-SEC) and played in the Olympics."

One poignant season that Lewis recalled as one of his reasons for such a long stay at Clay was his 2022 regionals final win over West Florida High. But the Blue Devils eventually lost 4-0 to Deltona in the Final Four.

"We had four seniors and three stayed in West Florida to play their region with junior Gabby Ellis the pitcher, now at Michigan, then Clay gave them all the graduation ceremony as the kids got on Friday," Lewis said. "Those kids taught me a lesson on being a team for their decision to miss graduation for the game (a 1-0 win against West Florida in 10 innings), and the one senior who went to graduation also taught a life lesson in making life decisions."