Philipsburg-Osceola softball under new leadership as 5 coaches resign. What we know
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- Five coaches, including varsity coach Mike Herr, resigned before the spring season began.
- Despite rumored allegations, the coaches have not been publicly accused of wrongdoing.
- Herr’s wife said his dismissal was the result of a “witch hunt.”
The Philipsburg-Osceola Area School District’s softball program is under new leadership following a series of resignations and calls from community members for greater transparency on the situation.
The district’s school board on Monday approved the resignations of five former softball coaches, including former varsity head coach Mike Herr and junior high head coach Daniel Frank. The moves arrive following continued appeals from program parents and community members, who asked the district for months to clarify the situation and retain its coaches.
More than a dozen community members who spoke at recent school board meetings alluded to allegations against Herr and other former coaches, though the exact nature of those allegations remains unclear. No charges have been filed against the former coaches, and Philipsburg-Osceola officials have not publicly accused them of wrongdoing.
The Philipsburg-Osceola school board has declined to discuss specific details of the situation publicly, citing it as a personnel matter.
Brandi Vaughn, the mother a current varsity softball player, said Herr played a significant role in her daughter’s growth as a student-athlete. She called on the district to provide greater transparency surrounding his dismissal.
“What really is disheartening is the fact that some can just disregard that and make decisions based on accusations,” Vaughn said Tuesday. “I believe you do have proof of the accusations, but I don’t know what they are. Mike doesn’t know what they are. None of the girls [on the team] know what they are, but you guys know what they are. So, hopefully, these accusations will come to light.”
Vaughn’s daughter Morgan, a junior on the varsity softball team, told WTAJ her teammates received no prior notice of the softball coaches’ departures leading up to the spring season. They arrived at the season’s first mandatory practice to be met by the school’s guidance counselor with no coaches in attendance.
Speaking before the school board, Morgan described Herr as a dedicated coach who strengthened the softball program and mentored its players. He became Philipsburg-Osceola’s varsity head coach in 2025.
Morgan Vaughn called Herr’s departure “a really big mistake” and implied it was the result of a small but vocal group.
“We had an amazing coach that cared for the players, loved the game, wanted to watch everyone succeed, and people just couldn’t deal with the fact that they didn’t have relations to someone in charge,” Morgan said.
Herr’s wife, Jennifer, spoke at Feb. 23’s board meeting and claimed the supposed allegations against her husband were the result of an orchestrated campaign. She believes some program members and parents colluded with an unnamed volunteer coach to remove Herr from the staff.
“I would like to ask the school board to see through the lies and the false accusations that have been made against Coach Herr,” his wife said. “I hope you can see what the true purpose of all of this was: It was a witch hunt and a smear campaign by a few players and their parents, who are disgruntled they did not get the playing time they all believe they deserved.”
The district’s school board on Monday finalized the departures by approving the resignations of Herr and Frank alongside assistant softball coaches Douglas Myers, Cyndee Sankey Deemer and Abby Showers.
The board also approved a revised list of softball coaches and volunteers for the remainder of the 2025-26 school year. Rebecca Kephart will serve as the interim varsity head coach, while David Harmic will serve as the interim junior high head coach. They are joined by eight other volunteer and interim coaches.
The Philipsburg-Osceola Area School District did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the coaches’ resignations.
Philipsburg-Osceola’s varsity softball team will open its spring season Wednesday with a road matchup against Bellwood-Antis.
This story was originally published March 24, 2026 at 3:32 PM.
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