GISD gets new head coaches in softball and tennis

Granbury High School has announced it will have two new head coaches for the upcoming sports season, with Katie Cowan (softball) and Connor Mason (tennis) joining the 2021-22 school year staff.

Cowan is already familiar with Granbury athletes after serving the past two years as an assistant coach in softball and volleyball for the Lady Pirates. The Cleburne native was a four-year letter winner for the Yellow Jackets, winning three District Pitcher of the Year awards and pitching her team to the regional quarterfinals.

Cowan then committed to North Central Texas College, where she helped propel the team to the national level before attending Northwood University as an All-Conference pitcher.

Cowan first coached in Malakoff before coming to GHS in 2018.

“Katie has been an integral part of our successful softball program,” commented GISD athletic director Dwight Butler.  “She has worked hand in hand with our outgoing coach and displayed quite a bit of passion necessary to continue building the program.”

Connor Mason brings a wealth of tennis playing and coaching experience from his job at Cleburne High School. A graduate of Saginaw High School and a four-year letter winner, Mason, was the team captain at East Texas Baptist University.

Mason was noted for creating enthusiasm and encouraging younger players, which has carried over into his coach career. As a student-teacher at Elysian Fields, he helped coach an athlete into the state tournament for the first time in school history.

As an assistant in Cleburne, he helped take the Yellow Jackets to make back-to-back playoff runs the past two seasons.

“We have watched Connor play tennis since high school,” Butler said.  “He brings some innovative ideas to improve our tennis program.  Connor is a young, passionate leader who comes highly recommended, and we look forward to having him at GHS.”