James McClanahan

Varsity Head Coach

James McClanahan is in his twelfth year at Elkins High School and his eleventh season as head coach of the Elkins softball team.  He has compiled an outstanding record during his past ten seasons, including a national championship, one state championship, seven district 20-5A Titles and three state tournament appearances.  He helped turn around a struggling softball program into a highly respectable and recognizable team during his past ten years as head coach. In 2004, he won the prestigious award given by the NCAA as "Coach of the Year." 

In addition to his head coaching duties, McClanahan helped coach the football at Elkins for nine years as Offensive Coordinator.  He also teaches business and calculus at Elkins.  Before coming to Elkins, McClanahan coached football, baseball and power lifting at Weimar High School for four years.
McClanahan graduated from Scarborough High School in Houston, received his bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Texas in 1989 and his master's degree in business from UH Victoria. 

Coach McClanahan and his wife, Alena, have three children, Hayden (9), Ryan (7), and Kaylee (3).

Amy Mattes 

Assistant Varsity Coach

Amy Mattes is the assistant varsity softball coach at Elkins High School.  This marks her third year at Elkins High School. Before coming to Elkins, Amy Mattes taught in the Dickinson ISD as a 7th grade math teacher and coached volleyball, basketball, track and tennis. She spent the next five years in La Marque teaching middle school physical education and journalism. She has coached Varsity tennis, JV softball, freshman volleyball and middle school volleyball and basketball. She assisted the La Marque Varsity High School team to the 1998 Regional Finals, 1999 Bi-District Finals, 2000 Regional Quarter-Finals and the 2001 Regional Semi-Finals. In 2003, she coached a tennis player to the Regional Quarter-Finals. Amy Mattes currently teaches health at Elkins and is also the Girls Athletic Coordinator as well as the Head Cross Country coach. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Kinesiology and Health Science from Stephen F. Austin State University where she was also very active in intramural softball, volleyball, basketball, racquetball and flag football. Prior to Stephen F. Austin, she was a letterman in softball, soccer and tennis at La Marque High School.

Jackie Scales

JV  Coach

This is Jackie's first year at Elkins High School.  Prior to coming to Elkins, she was the Head Basketball coach and Assistant Varsity Softball coach for four years at Bridge City High School.  She began her coaching/teaching career at Port Neches-Groves High School where she coached JV softball and Freshman Basketball.  An interesting fact about Coach Scales is that every Softball team that she has been a part of as both a player and coach has been District Champions!  She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Lamar University.  Prior to that, she lettered in Softball and Basketball at Bridge City High School.  In addition to coaching, she also teaches World Geography.