Alex Stephens enters her second season as an assistant coach for the Lady Jaguars, where she works primarily with the infielders and serves as the team's hitting coach.
Stephens made an immediate impact in her first season as Southern's offense enjoyed one of the most productive campaigns in program history. The Lady Jaguars finished with a .304 team batting average, collecting 60 doubles, 24 triples, 37 home runs and averaging 5.5 runs per game. Southern's batting average ranked among the nation's top 100 and was the program's highest since 1998. The Lady Jaguars also set a new single-season school record with 37 home runs, while their 24 triples ranked sixth nationally.
Her work at the plate helped elevate several of the conference's top hitters, including Laila Clark, who earned the 2026 SWAC Newcomer of the Year award. Clark led Southern in nearly every offensive category, batting .428 to rank 52nd nationally while adding 21 stolen bases and a .737 slugging percentage, both of which ranked among the nation's top 100. In conference play, her nine home runs tied for the third-most in the SWAC. Clark also put together one of the country's longest hitting stretches, recording 12 consecutive games with both a hit and an RBI from Feb. 22 through March 20—the second-longest such streak in the nation during the season. She finished the year with 17 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI performances.
Under Stephens' guidance, four Lady Jaguars finished the season batting above .300. Abigail Mitchell hit .389 with 10 home runs, Asia George batted .385, Katiana Maldonado finished at .333, and Clark led the team with a .428 average.
Stephens joined Southern after serving as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Zachary High School, during the 2024-25 season. She helped guide the Broncos to a district runner-up finish and a berth in the bi-district round of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association playoffs.
A Zachary, Louisiana, native, Stephens enjoyed a standout playing career at Zachary High School, earning First Team All-District honors as both an infielder and utility player while also receiving All-Metro recognition. She led her district in batting average during both her junior and senior seasons.
On the travel circuit, Stephens competed for Blazers Elite 16U and Blazers Gold 18U, winning national championships with both organizations. She continued her playing career at Louisiana State University-Eunice, helping lead the Bengals to a national runner-up finish.
Following her collegiate career, Stephens gained coaching experience with Legendz, Lady Lightning, Blazers Elite Gold and Northwestern Middle School before returning to Zachary High School. Those opportunities helped shape her player-first coaching philosophy, emphasizing skill development, leadership and teamwork.
Stephens comes from a family with a strong athletic background. Her mother played collegiate softball at ULM, her brother played football, and her sister serves as the head volleyball coach at Live Oak High School. Growing up in that environment fostered Stephens' passion for developing student-athletes both on and off the field.
