Thank you, Coach

Catonsville, MD- After nearly 17 years at the helm of the Lady Cardinals softball program, Chuck Slater has announced his retirement from coaching at CCBC Catonsville.

Prior to being hired at CCBC Catonsville, Slater coached Anne Arundel County Select Class A travel softball (1997-2005). He was apart of the Maryland Magic, Wagner's, and Wagner's Gold. Coach collected 502 career wins and made nine national tournament appearances in eight years.

Slater was brought on as CCBC Catonsville's head softball coach in August of 2004. His first season leading the softball program was wildly successful as he posted a 23-2 start, with a National tournament appearance, to what would be a very successful career.

Slater would go on to collect a 487-197-1 (.711%) career record. His coaching staff was named NFCA East Region Coaching Staff of the year twice (2008, 2019). Slater has also produced 11 NJCAA All-Americans, and 13 NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) All-Americans.  He has been named MD JUCO Coach of the Year 10 times in his career. Under his direction, the Lady Cardinals have won 6 Region XX titles, appeared in the National Tournament 6 times (2005, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014) and have taken the MD JUCO title 10 times. The program was nationally ranked in 15 of 17 possible seasons. Coach Slater was inducted into the CCBC Hall of Fame in 2018.

Director of College Athletics Brian Farrell said of Coach Slater, "Since I had the great fortune to hire Coach Slater in 2004, it has been amazing to see his on-field success and countless championships; the magnitude of student-athlete scholarships awarded through his fundraising efforts; and the great number of student-athletes who have gone on to play at the four-year level. He will truly be missed as a friend and colleague."

Reflecting on his time at CCBC Catonsville, Slater said, "My favorite part of my career was being able to watch them grow and succeed. I also enjoyed working with the young athletes from my camps from the community. It has been fun working with everyone at Catonsville, it has been like a family. Brian has been a leader and a friend over the years and has been a big part of our program."

Assistant Director of Athletics, Melissa Miller, shares her thoughts on the longtime coach. "Coach Slater will be sorely missed. He has always been a dedicated coach, top notch recruiter and fundraiser, but most importantly the definition of a class act and great person. There is no doubt that he has left a lasting impression on his many former student-athletes and a legacy within our athletic program. I am proud to have had the opportunity to share the field coaching against him previously, working with him for the past 7 years at CCBC and to call him a friend."

Over the course of his tenure at CCBC Catonsville, Coach Slater has impacted so many of his student-athletes. A few of them wanted to share their gratitude:

"Throughout my playing career, I've had many coaches. However, few have impacted me the way Coach Chuck has. He has been encouraging in ways that other coaches were not and gave me the chance that I never thought I would get. I could never express how much he truly means to me in words, so I will just leave it at this- thank you coach. I will always remember you and cherish my time as one of your players." -Casey Kidwell '17

"Coach Slater was very dedicated to the program and put everything he had into coaching us every day. I am very thankful that I have learned from him during my time at CCBC and grateful for the opportunity he gave me to be able to play college softball." -Casey Turner '20

"Congratulations on your retirement Coach Slater. CCBC was the best experience for me to play at the college level and it was because of the environment you created. Thank you for being caring, generous, and such a great coach. Also, Slater burgers are by far the best I've ever tasted! Thank you coach for all you have done!" -Alleshia Pullen '19

"Coach Chuck was one of the best coaches I have ever had! We joke together, laugh together, and he is just so encouraging to all of his players. He truly knew how to run the softball program. Coach Chuck truly left his mark at CCBC Catonsville. We love him so much!" -Marissa Heuer '20

"I will always be grateful for opportunity to play for Coach Slater. His dedication to the game and his players is incredible. The time I spent playing softball at CCBC Catonsville were definitely two of the best years of my softball career, and a lot of that was thanks to Coach Slater's support. I have no doubt his coaching career at CCBC will be considered one of the best!" -Hailey Manning '19

"Coach Chuck did a really good job of trying to model his program like a D1 program given the limited resources, various constraints, rules, and budget. As the best team in the MD JUCO conference, he challenged us to play teams at the D1 level and we were competitive. I vividly, and sure my former team do as well, remember the tournament at UMBC in 2012 when we played various D1 schools such as Towson and UMBC. We had them shaking in their cleats. This led us to success not only in our pre-season tournament in Myrtle Beach every year, but also in the post-season making it Nationals. He was able to achieve this by being a positive coach, coaching us through some tough practices, and post-game speeches, various softball camps in the winter, and team lifting and conditioning. I thank you for all the hours & time you invested in me, the program, and the team during my 2 short years at CCBC." -Erin Pronobis '13

"Lettuce! Chicken dinner! You as a coach was a great time in my life! I will never forget it. Congratulations on retirement, you deserve to relax!" -Audrey Melcher '16

"Coach Chuck was easily the best coach I've ever had, but even more than that he is an all-around genuine person- he did everything for us girls out of the pure goodness of his heart, always putting us first, he made CCBC feel like home. After playing there for two years he allowed me to come back and practice with the team sometimes while playing for Frostburg. I then went back and coached with him for three years. I learned so much in that time period from Coach. I admired his love and passion for softball. I can't thank him enough for all he's done for me and all prior teams. I can't imagine that field without Chuck on it, I know the program will truly miss him." -Jess Dubbs '13

"Coach Slater taught me a lot before I moved on to my four year. Biggest thing that stuck with me was him preaching that 'hitting is the easiest thing in softball.' He always broke down the game in a way that made it simple." -Chrissy Jordan '20

And finally, a quote from his daughter, Beth.

"'Play the Game the way it should be played.' I hope when someone hears that quote his name pops up in their head. He's a legend and I look forward to having him continue to coach my daughter because those bring back so many great memories of having him as my coach.  From your one and only daughter, Beth Poorman."