Beyond coaching technical skills, what do you see as your roles as a Coach?
My mission as a Coach goes way beyond helping to develop these women into great athletes. I believe my role is also to assist them in developing great character so they can go and accomplish whatever they set out to do in their life. Character training is a more difficult task in my opinion, but I would also argue that it is more important than merely teaching them the game we play. College athletics gives us a great vehicle to teach them about the need for great compassion, humility, kindness, patience, forgiveness, love, etc, and to do great things with their life beyond the game. I take that role very seriously and I am still working hard to know how to best help them develop these great characteristics.
Who has been your mentor or biggest supporter?
I would have to say my parents have been my biggest supporters and mentors for me. Between both of them they have everything you would need from a mentor – enthusiasm, wisdom, honesty, generosity, trustworthiness, and dependability. I lean on them for everything except coaching the fundamentals of the game. My brother is another mentor for me. He is an ER doctor and is so patient and kind to help guide me through some tough situations. When it comes to softball mentoring, my former coach Jo Evans (head coach at Texas A&M) is on the top of my phone list. She makes coaching seem so easy, so it’s a little intimidating at times to reach out to her, but she is so kind and always helps to lead me down the path of success. My questions for her always seem so dumb after she answers them. She makes things seem so simple, which means I must be the one complicating things!!!
What have been the top 3-5 things that have helped you succeed in your coaching role?
1. Diligent and trustworthy assistant coaches’
2. Great role models to emulate
3. Supportive family
What are you most proud of?
100% graduation rate for all players that played their four years for me.
What has been your career highlight so far?
A winning PAC-12 conference record (12-11) and a 2015 NCAA regional appearance for a group of seniors that finished (2-22) as freshmen. They worked their butts off for four years to earn 12 wins in the PAC-12 and that NCAA berth! What an accomplishment for those seniors.
What was one thing you changed in your program from last season to this past season that made the difference?
We have worked for years to establish a culture at Utah built on great character. Our teams have gotten better and better each and every year because we have been able to recruit better talent, but it is the culture here has drawn the recruits. We have a great culture established after years of work, and because of that, we were able to draw in some great recruits last season. We added two pitchers that led us to new places. That was the final piece we needed to make the jump into the NCAA bracket. I have also hired a phenomenal coaching staff that is so grounded in the things I believe are important in a successful program. They are hardworking and loyal and believe in themselves and their talents. They challenge me and make me to want to get better all the time. They serve our team which in turn allows the team to want to give back to the program. It’s a great culture and we will continue to work hard to keep it that way because it takes a lot of time and energy to keep it great!
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