Softball Coaching Staff

Larry Babcock — Head Coach

Larry Babcock enters his second season at South Suburban College. Prior to coming to South Suburban, Larry was the Head Softball Coach at Morgan Twp. High School in Valparaiso, IN, where he led the program to their best season in three years. Larry also served as the Interim Head Coach at Prairie State College in 2006.

Besides softball, Larry is the Associate Head Women’s Volleyball coach at Indiana University Northwest where he is responsible for recruiting and scheduling for the lady Redhawks team. He also coaches volleyball with the Dunes Volleyball Club in Rolling Prairie, IN.

Prior to his coaching, Coach Babcock has officiated sports the last 18 years at various levels of football, basketball, baseball, and softball. He currently referees NCAA Division III football in the CCIW, NAC, and Mid-West Conferences. He also officiates NAIA basketball in the CCAC.

During the spring, he umpired professional baseball in the Northern League of Professional Baseball, and NCAA Baseball at the Division I, II, and III levels.

He has also umpired collegiate softball for six years. Working mostly in NCAA Division 1, he has worked games in the Missouri Valley, Mid-Continent Conference (Now Summit League), C-USA, Big East, MAC, Horizon conferences. He has also umpired non-conference games in the Big Ten conference.

Larry is a graduate of Wheeler High School in Indiana, where he played varsity volleyball, basketball, baseball, and golf.

Mike Bridgeman — Assistant Coach

Coach Bridgeman brings over 18 years of coaching experience to the Lady Bulldogs dugout. He started coaching Lansing Little League baseball when he was 14-years old. At the age of 22, he started playing and coaching competitive 12" inch softball.

In 1993, Mike started coaching girl's softball in Lansing (1993-2003), and Munster, IN from 2000-2005.

Coach Bridgeman led the Munster Magic 10-U Travel team to take the Indiana State Championship in 2004.

Mr. Bridgeman has also piloted the 2003 Lansing Heat 16u Travel team, the Indiana Impulse 12-U Travel team (2005-2007), and the Indiana Velocity 14-U Travel team (2007-2008).

He has spent the last three years coaching at Andrean High School in Merrillville, IN, where the girl's softball team were state runners-up in 2008 and 2011.

Coach Bridgemen is a lifelong resident of Lansing, Illinois. He is married and has four daughters and one grandson.

Ken Crandol — Assistant Coach

31 years ago, Ken began coaching sister in youth softball. He then started coaching ASA travel softball in 1987. His high school coaching experience began in 1990 at Gavit High School in Hammond, IN. He was there four years. Ken then moved on to coach at Andrean High School in Merrillville, IN from 2009 thru 2012. At AHS, he piloted the '59ers to three high school state finals, and won the Indiana State championship in 2012.

Coach Crandol has been the leader of the Indiana Rebels softball organization since 1989. In that time, his Rebel teams have won the Indiana State Championship on five occasions, including 1990 and 1992. They have qualified for three ASA USA Nationals, and has made three appearances in the Northern Nationals. Ken is currently the head coach of the Indiana Rebels 18-U travel softball team, and has a 16-U travel team in his organization.

In 2006, the Rebels finished as runners-up in the NSA World Series.

Outside of softball, Ken has played baseball for 12 years. He attended Sawyer Business College to pursue career as a firefighter. He is currently a Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician in the City of Hammond (23 years).

Ken is married to Lisa for 18 years and has 3 children and 2 grandchildren.