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Nixa grads chase same goals as coaches at Branson and husband and wife

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Pointing out the positives of working with her spouse, Alexis McKee relates she and her husband, Josh McKee, allow each other time on their own away from their jobs.

“He can go golf on the weekend and I can go to Target,” she said. “We can run errands and don’t feel like we have to spend that time together because we spend so much time together during the week. It’s kind of reverse for us.”

The McKees are two months into their marriage and have started their second season working with each other at Branson. Josh is the Lady Pirates’ fifth-year head softball coach and Alexis is one of his assistants.

The Nixa grads were dating when Alexis joined Josh’s staff a year ago. They were married this July.

They were introduced to each other by first-year Rogersville coach Manny Flores. Alexis was Flores’ assistant while they coached at Joplin.

When the prospect of being hired at Branson and working with Josh developed, Alexis weighed the pros and cons.

“I didn’t know how it would be working with him. I was more apprehensive than he was,” Alexis said. “Working with your soon-to-be spouse, it was a little tricky. Now it’s going along a lot smoother.

“It’s challenging. But I also think it makes our bond stronger because we’re out here fighting for the same goal,” she added. “In life, you’re fighting for the same goal and pulling the rope in the same direction as husband and wife. We’re literally pulling that rope in the same direction in every aspect of our lives.”

With open communication between them, Josh feels Alexis’ arrival has made him a better coach.

“We can be honest with each other, so you hear all aspects, the good and the bad,” Josh said. “Sometimes, you don’t want to hear the bad, but you need to hear it. I feel she can tell me things that I may not listen to from other people. It helps from a coach’s side to grow. Maybe you’ve been stuck in your ways with one thing and this way you can look at things differently. You’re opening doors to help make the program better.”

“I feel like I want to have my own say,” Alexis said. “Sometimes, we don’t see eye to eye. But it’s helped me become less stubborn and listen to him.”

The McKees commute from Ozark and have made a habit of separating their working relationship from their own relationship upon completing their drive home.

“We usually use the car ride to talk softball,” Josh said. “But once we get home we’re back to talking about normal stuff.”

“One thing we’ve been working on is, ‘This is softball time,’ and we’re colleagues and when we get home, we’re husband and wife,” Alexis said. “Softball will still come up at home here and there. But we usually try to squash it if it begins to dominate our dinner conversation.”

The McKees have Branson at 5-2 entering its trip Tuesday to Ozark for the annual COC opener for both programs. It is the Lady Pirates’ best start in five years.

“The Nixas, the Ozarks and the powerhouses, that’s where we’re striving to be one day,” said Josh, who played football and baseball as a freshman and sophomore at Ozark and as a junior and senior at Nixa. “We’d like to get Branson to the top of the conference. Coming from Ozark’s and Nixa’s programs, we know what it takes, the dedication and commitment to get your program there.”

“I respect all the coaches I had at Nixa and it’s pretty cool to coach against them. I take it as a challenge,” said Alexis, an All-COC infielder who was part of the Lady Eagles’ 2009 COC championship and 2009 and 2010 District championship teams. “They’ve encouraged me in my playing career and my coaching career. I had a lot of fun in high school and I want these girls to have fun. When you win, you have fun.”


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