Coaches
Tom Mauldin, also known as ‘Coach T’, is in his fourth season as Lava Bear varsity head coach. He is one of Oregon’s most experienced coaches having coached at the high school and collegiate level for nearly 40 years.
Mauldin is a former player with international experience and the winningest coach at two Oregon high schools. He has been a head coach at the college, high school and club level.
Mauldin is a private pitching and hitting coach with former clients playing on both coasts and in colleges in seven different states. He is Senior Advisor with Fastpitch Northwest and retired softball and volleyball editor for CBSSports-owned MaxPreps.
Mauldin has coached and played in more than 3,400 games. He has coached more than two dozen college and high school All-American players. And proudly says “there will be more.” And he is quick to note, “they are excellent student athletes who work hard and make me look good.”
With Mauldin and his staff in place, the Lava Bears are 36-10 over two seasons. They went 18-9 in 2019, finished third in the Mountain Valley Conference and earned an automatic bid to the 6A postseason in their first year at that classification (the state’s largest). The 2020 campaign was cancelled due to COVID, but in 2021, the Lava Bears won 18 of 19 games.
Mauldin says his “greatest accomplishment in life” was marrying Cat, his wife of 33 years. They have five adult children and 12 grandchildren (ages 1 to 21).
They are former newspaper owners and during their tenure as owners of the Cannon Beach Gazette, the Gazette was honored three times by the National Newspaper Publisher’s Association as America’s Best Small Newspaper.
Coach T’s favorite saying: “Pride Plus Passion Produces Positive Performance with Proper Preparation.”
Coach Maya Eliff, assistant junior varsity coach. Maya was an all-league third baseman for the Lava Bears and played in the state 6A All-Star game as a senior. She followed her graduation from Bend High School to Blue Mountain CC and is attending Central Oregon Community College. Through the years, Eliff has played for a number of travel softball teams, including the Oregon Elite and the Central Oregon Avalanche.
Two mottos that she lives by are “Never let good enough BE enough” and “If you don’t play with heart then what are you playing with.”?
Coach Emma Mone is a 2019 Bend High graduate. She was a four-year starting varsity catcher. She was awarded Lava Bear of the Year three times, MVP once, and second team All-Conference catcher three times. Emma played for several travel teams over the years, including Avalanche, Velocity, and Elite. She is taking classes online at CWU to earn her Bachelor’s in Aviation Management and is also flying through Leading Edge Aviation to work towards earning the licences and ratings she needs to fly for the airlines one day. She has earned her Private Pilot’s License, and will be on to her Instrument Rating next. Outside of school, she works at Nike, and spends her free time hiking, working out, hanging with friends, and watching shows. “So excited to spend some time helping out the Lava Bears this season, I know it’s gonna be a great one!,” said coach Mone.
Coach Ashleigh Parker grew up in Bend and is a Bend Senior High School graduate and former standout softball player. As a player, she played with passion and looks forward to sharing her softball passion with the girls from a coaches perspective. Her favorite saying is”today is your opportunity to build the tomorrow you want.”