By Whitney Haworth

Cheyanne Lyon grew up around the ballpark. With her dad working his way up the coaching ranks, would you expect much else?
 
If you would have asked six-year-old, or even 16-year-old Cheyanne, if she would play for her dad at the collegiate level, her answer may not have always been yes. However, the older she got and the more time she spent around her dad at the ballpark and in the batting cages, the answer became vividly clear.
 
REWIND
Corey Lyon has not always been ULM’s head softball coach, a softball coach, or even a college coach. Like many, Lyon has put in countless hours to get where he is today.
 
Lyon’s coaching career began by coaching high school baseball, softball and summer travel teams.  After building relationships and having success at the high school level, he continued his climb up the ladder. Lyon found a home coaching at a junior college and Southern Arkansas University before landing at ULM.
 
“I’ve really had to work my way up from the bottom to get where I am,” said Lyon. “It’s literally a dream come true, that when I started coaching, this is where I wanted to be – doing what I love  – wake up every day and come to the ballpark and just coach. That’s pretty fun for me.”
 
What’s probably more fun for Corey than waking up every day, going to the ballpark and coaching is doing all of that with his oldest daughter by his side.
 
RECRUIT
“It was something we had talked about, but at the same time, I never told Cheyanne, ‘Hey, you’re going to come play for me, even though in my heart and my head, I always thought this was what she’s going to do,” Lyon said.
 
Cheyanne had only played for her dad two years, but they always had a great relationship when it came to softball and it was on the way home from a tournament, where Corey was recruiting other athletes, that he received a verbal commit from potentially one of his “favorites” to date.
 
 “Well, do you want me to play for you,” Cheyanne asked from the backseat on the way home.
 
“That’s always been the end goal, baby girl.”
 
REMEMBER
Once on campus, naturally, both Corey and Cheyanne had to teach themselves how to balance and transition the dad-daughter relationship off the field to a coach-player relationship on the field.
 
According to Cheyanne, that first year was a growing year. Getting used to the level she had to bring to practice every day was a struggle, but after her first semester, it was smooth sailing.
 
“I remember vividly her freshman year where I wasn’t happy with her because I felt like she wasn’t doing enough on her own to make herself better. I told her, ‘Look I don’t think you’re doing enough. You need to start putting in more work,” Corey said.
 
“Are you telling me that as my dad or as my coach?”
 
“As your coach, I’m telling you I don’t believe you’re doing enough and you need to do more. As your dad, I’m telling you to listen to what your coach says, because I think he knows what he’s talking about.”
 
Cheyanne put in the work her coach recommended, earning her a starting spot at second base for the Warhawks over the last two seasons.
 
“Some of my greatest memories have been on that field with him, watching all my hopes and dreams come true,” Cheyanne said.
 
REACT
A solidified spot in the starting lineup. A strong relationship with not only her coach but her dad.
 
Two balls, one strike.  
 
In a preseason game, Cheyanne was part of a collision in right field, resulting in the senior tearing both her PCL and LCL right before her final season.
 
“Any injury can take a toll on the mental side of your game, but it’s just one of those things,” Cheyanne said. “You have to take a step back to realize what you have and how good you have it. It’s definitely pushed me to work a lot harder.”
 
“The thing about Cheyanne as a player – she’s not the kid out there that has the strongest arm, is the fastest or has the most power, but she’s the kid that’s not afraid to do the little things,” Corey said. “She’s faced all these obstacles along the way, including this year, going through the injury, and she hasn’t let it beat her.”
 
Determination and hard work got Lyon back to second base this season, with her coach and dad cheering her on just a few yards away.
 
“There are no coincidences. Everything happens for a reason,” Cheyanne said. “You always end up where you’re supposed to be. Do the best you can all the time and things will work out just the way they’re supposed to.”
 
On deck for the Warhawks… Carson Lyon.