Janie Grimes is a 2017 Arkansas Hall of Fame inductee. She has been a pitching instructor for over 25 years. Teaching at DBat-Little Rock since 2017, she has developed some of the best pitchers in Arkansas in all age divisions. Students travel statewide as well as from Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee to receive instruction. Her students are competing on the ASA/USA national level, pitching for 6A & 7A High School State Championships with 10 winning State Titles, and receiving DI and DII scholarships. Her students experience success on all levels.
In Grimes' first season at Ouachita, Tiger pitching recorded a 2.97 earned run average, more than two and a half runs lower than the previous season and its lowest since 2011. Freshman Nikki Schneider was named Honorable Mention All-GAC and posted the lowest single-season WHIP of any pitcher in program history at 1.09. All four pitchers who appeared in the circle for Ouachita posted career-low ERAs in 2021. The Tigers finished the season with their first-ever winning conference record and their highest-ever seed in the Great American Conference Tournament.
During Grimes' seven-year tenure at Southwest Tennessee Community College - an NJCAA Division 1 program - she developed the Lady Saluqis pitching staff into one of the best in the TCCAA. Under Grimes’ leadership the pitchers set more records in strikeouts and ERA’s and received more awards than in the history of the program.
Grimes has assisted in coaching the Cole Minnows, a highly competitive travel ball team, to many World, National and State championships.
Grimes has been teaching pitching for over 20 years and has instructed well over 1,000 students, coaching all talent levels and ages. She works hard to provide her students a well-rounded training program of strengthening, conditioning, proper mechanics, fundamentals and mental toughness. Grimes attends training clinics on a regular basis and has received instruction from pitching coaches from NCAA Division 1 programs such as Alabama, Texas, Michigan, Arizona and Tennessee, as well as USA Gold Medal pitchers Michelle Smith, Amanda Freed and Monica Abbott. She has conducted and organized many team and individual camps of all ages throughout the state and has over 20 years promoting and assisting in the growth of youth summer softball programs. Her coaching and teaching philosophy is based on God, proper mechanics and fundamentals, setting goals and possessing a strong work ethic to obtain them.
Grimes graduated from Lonoke High School and attended the University of Central Arkansas, where she was a member of the cheerleading squad.
She is a member of Highway Baptist Church where she serves as the Music Minister
Grimes and her husband, Tiger head coach Derrick Grimes, have been married for 35 years and have raised 3 daughters - Nikki, Whitney and Somer. The couple has four grandchildren with another one due in March.
