Tell us about your background and how you ended up coaching at UIS:
My passion for being a pitcher started at three-years old when I got to throw out the first pitch for the Springfield Cardinals for my birthday back when they had a minor league team here in town. When I was little, I had a Cardinals shirt on nearly every day of the summer, and I was lucky that my parents let me play any sport out there. I did everything from gymnastics to flag football, and spent a lot of time arguing with my older brother and his friends to let me play baseball with them in the field behind our house. Having two brothers growing up and a very competitive family, I learned how to be tough at an early age if I was going to be allowed to play.
My softball career really took off once I started concentrating on pitching when I was around 10-years old. My dad and I would go in the backyard and throw a bucket of balls and he would catch about two of them and the rest were all over the place and we would pick them up and do it again. We would throw nearly every night and gradually I did gain control. Mostly I just threw hard back then, and the kids in my rec league weren’t a fan of me pitching at them. I taught myself how to throw a change up one winter when I was throwing against our basement wall. My pitching coach helped tweak it, and that is the pitch that probably got me a college scholarship.
In high school, I was able to play for Vondel Edgar who had been my pitching coach since I was 10-years old. We had a fantastic four years at Glenwood, and then I chose to go to Illinois State and play for a Hall of Fame coach, Melinda Fischer. It was one of the best decisions I ever made, and probably what led me to coaching today. Illinois State sold me with the schedule they played and we traveled all over playing the top teams in the nation. My senior year we beat Florida twice and UCLA all in the same weekend in a tournament at UCLA. After that we were ranked No. 17 in the nation, and that was one of the best memories I’ll ever have on a softball field. I am so thankful for the opportunities I had as a student-athlete to play against the best competition, and learned so much from all of my coaches at Illinois State.
After my four years, I was asked to stick around and help coach while going to grad school. Then another opportunity opened up when our pitching coach, Bill Kennedy, retired and I was able to become part of the full-time coaching staff. I gained more experience in the coaching world and realized there was so much more to coaching than just the on-the-field aspects. After six years as an assistant at Illinois State, I received an email from Kim Pate, who was the AD at UIS at the time, asking if I would be interested in the head coaching job that was open at UIS. I had not been back to the UIS campus in quite some time and was absolutely amazed with the growth that had happened. I remembered what the campus looked like as Sangamon State when I played at the YMCA soccer fields, and it was unreal to see the progress. The softball program was really starting to take off at that time, and I knew we had a really great opportunity to help the sport of softball succeed in this area. I also knew that Central Illinois had a ton of softball talent, and was excited to see what we could do by utilizing those top players. I am beyond thrilled for the opportunity to coach in this great sports community and work with some of the most fantastic athletes every day.
What do you like best about the sport you coach:
I really enjoy working with college athletes every day. There is never a dull moment with them. I love watching them compete, and how excited they get in big moments. I still get the same adrenaline I had as a player when we take the field, and just love that I get to be involved in sports every day.
What has been the top moment/game of your coaching career:
In 2018 when we came back to beat UMSL twice in one day to win the NCAA Regional on our home field. That whole regional week was extraordinary. The game we lost in extra innings to send us to the losers bracket was even a great game, and then we came back the next day and just played really great softball. We had a ton of key plays by nearly every person on our team throughout the regional. It was also really fun for our team because our whole Athletic Department really helped out to enable us to host and made it special for our team. It was a great week for UIS Softball all around.
What’s the best thing about coaching at UIS:
The people. Our athletic department is filled with people who are really passionate, and want to build great things here in Springfield. Our coaches are all trying to build great programs, and the energy around here is electrifying. We have a really great group of coaches and administrators working together here, and I am excited for the future of the Prairie Stars.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not coaching:
Mostly I am with my family. My husband, Eric, and I have a son Colt (three-years old), a dog Archer, and another baby boy on the way. I am fortunate that a lot of my family still lives in the area. We watch a lot of sports, are big Cardinals fans, and enjoy being outside whenever possible.
