Jackson Devine is an ASU journalist assigned to cover Deer Valley for AZPrep365.

Deer Valley softball coach Taylor Hagele “learned how to walk on the softball field.” 

Her father Bartt Underwood, who was inducted into the Arizona High School Athletic Coach Hall Of Fame in 2017, is the one responsible for introducing her to the game that she immediately fell in love with.

“He’s the main reason,” said Hagele. “I grew up on the softball field, learned how to walk on the softball field. I was there everyday after school. I was there all the time.”

Being the daughter of a Hall of Fame coach is no easy task. Hagele remembers all the early mornings and late nights she spent on the field with her father growing up.

Being the coach of one of your children’s teams is also no easy task. Underwood, who has had experience coaching both of his children’s teams, made sure there was no special treatment.

“I always told my kids, on the field you're not my son or daughter,” said Underwood. “You're just like everyone else, but if at any point you think I’m being easier or harder on you, you need to tell me.”

His ability to communicate with his players and children is key for everyone to be on the same page and know his expectations.

This was the mentality the day before their state championship game at Centennial High School, where Hagele played for her father.

Underwood still remembers a conversation he had with Hagele at their last practice before the game.

“Taylor popped up four in a row and I asked her if she was gonna fix it and she said ‘Coach am I even gonna bat in the Championship game?’ I said ‘well how do you think you're hitting right now’ and she said terrible. So I told her well there’s your answer,” said Underwood.

They proceeded to win the state championship the next day with Hagele playing first base, but did not bat.

This was the last time the father-daughter duo took the field as player and coach. However, the father-daughter duo continued when Underwood began coaching at Cactus and later hired Hagele to his coaching staff.

“I knew she wanted to be a coach when I told her I was coaching at Cactus and she asked if I needed an assistant,” said Underwood. “I told her ya, but you have to be 21. So she went to school and once she turned 21, she said when are tryouts?”

This is when Hagele believes she picked up on the things her dad achieved and allowed her to learn and become the coach she is now.

“I got to see how he interacts with players, how he interacts with coaches,” said Hagele. “I also got to ask questions and find out why you do things a certain way and why you don’t do things a certain way.”

The father-daughter duo coached together for four successful seasons at Cactus where they once again appeared in a state championship game together in 2016, this time losing to Ironwood Ridge. 

Her performance as an assistant coach was up to par with her father’s high standards. So when he got a call from Deer Valley asking if he wanted to be their next head coach, he politely declined saying “I don’t know if my girls at Cactus would really like that.” He did, however, think Hagele was up for the task and recommended her for the job.

Deer Valley hired her as their head coach for the 2020 season.

Hagele’s first season as coach was cut short after just five games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We weren’t expecting our entire season to get cancelled,” said Hagele. “We talked about it ahead of time with all the coaches. We got together with the players and said with everything going on, just kind of anticipate something to come up.”

This season has also been complicated and riddled with pandemic protocols. However, it led to a much anticipated matchup between Cactus and Deer Valley, where the father-daughter duo faced off as opposing coaches.

This matchup also left someone who is a vital part of both coaches lives stuck in the middle. 

“Obviously I want my daughter to win, but at the same time I want my husband to win,” said Denice, Hagele’s mom and Bartt’s wife. “So I just wear blue and grey and root for both teams.”

For the two parties “bragging rights” were on the line and the competitive juices flowed on both sides.

“I told my team that if we lose to my daughters team… tell your parents you’ll see them in June because you’ll be running til then,” said Underwood. 

“We talked to each other the night before. We were giving each other some grief and going back and forth,” said Hagele.

Hagele, who has had this game marked on the schedule since the beginning of the season, was eager to get her first opportunity to best her dad’s team.

This, however, will have to wait til next year. They faced each other two times in the same week with Cactus winning the first game 8-1 and the second game 4-1, leaving Deer Valley with a 2-9 record so far this season. 

Although Hagele is disappointed with the results, this has not allowed her to stray from her main objective and that’s to build a culture at Deer Valley starting with a successful first full season.

“When you have girls and get to see their progress throughout the season, they're learning, they’re having fun, and they’re falling in love with the sport that I love. That to me is successful,” said Hagele.

Hagele, who has a fairly young team with only two seniors, will continue to build her foundation for success and continue to instill the importance of “hardwork and a good attitude” within her players.