COACHES

THIS SECTION RESERVED FOR LOCAL COACHES

WE WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO LOCAL COLLEGE, HIGH SCHOOL, TRAVEL and TOWN BALL COACHES. WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM THEM ABOUT COACHING: HOW THEY GOT INTO IT, GAME STRATEGIES, HELPFUL TRAINING TIPS, WHAT DO THEY GET OUT OF IT AND ANYTHING ELSE INVOLVING FASTPITCH SOFTBALL.

IF ANY LOCAL HITTING, FIELDING OR PITCHING COACHES WILLING TO WORK ONE ON ONE OR OFFER LESSONS, PLEASE SEND IN YOUR INFO OR CARD AND WE CAN POST IT.

Tony Ciccarello - Head Coach at S.U.N.Y. Geneseo

Some words from Coach Tony Ciccarello, SUNY Geneseo.

Softball is a great game. It's a game where you get out of it what you put into it. It's also a sport where your success is not as connected to your physical attributes as it is with other sports. You don't have to be over 6'2" or weigh only 99 pounds or have a vertical leap of 9 feet or be able to bench press 200 pounds -- as you might have to be to succeed at various other sports. Watch the D-I national fastpitch championships on TV and you will see that, even on the best teams, softball players come in all sizes!

If you love the game and you're good at it, you probably want to keep
playing in college.
This is my advice:
First, look for colleges that offer your major first. If they don't have
what you want to study, they should come off your list.
Where do you want to go to school: urban, suburban, rural, far from home, close to home?
How big a school: 2,500 or 25,000 students?

Always remember, whatever school you end up choosing, you are there for an education. Softball is important, but not over your studies.
For me at Geneseo, I set this priority: family, school, softball. Those
should be the focus of your life, and only family and school should come above softball.

Should you go to a D-I, D-II, D-III school? There are pros and cons for
each. Just because you are offered a scholarship, don't think school will be free. Many are only partial. Make sure you know the real costs of what attending that school will be and make sure you know if there are any conditions connected to your scholarship.

Visit the schools that are on your list. Try to stay with a player on an
overnight. This way you can see the school from the player's perspective. Ask about the coach, his/her philosophy (playing time, schedules, spring trips, practice routine) are the coaches teachers or yellers, do they care about you getting an education, are they upfront and honest with players, are they flexible or is it their way or the highway.

College softball is more intense, more time-consuming than anything you've played before. It is a faster game and there are better athletes on the field. The good teams don't have any player they're trying to hide, and usually those on the bench are great players for which there is simply no open spot.

Always remember, this is a fun sport and you should make choices in your
life that will keep it that way.

 

John Dumaw - Head Coach at
S.U.N.Y - Brockport
John is considered one of the deans of local fastpitch softball. He was an award-winning fastpitch softball pitcher, coached an award-winning travel team and now as head softball coach at SUNY Brockport has a team that competes very successfully at the Div. III level. More to come from John.

 

Bob Nevil - Pitching Coach
I have been involved in area girls fast pitch for the past 10 years. I was the originator of the Monroe Blazers in Fairport. Both of my daughters were pitchers in high school and college( an important source of my pitching knowledge).
I provide pitching instruction on a private and group basis( currently
40 girls from 10 - 17yrs old). I am interested in pursuing the creation
of a softball complex, dedicated to girls fastpitch leagues.I have
other interested sources but need to know more about this group.I have
attempted to purchase fields for this purpose this past year. If
possible I`d like to combine resources and efforts to make a complex
like those in Syracuse possible here. Can someone contact me? I can be
contacted by E- Mail or phone, both listed below. Thanks,

Bob Nevil : 585-425- 7087
bnevil@upstatehomecare.com

 

 

M.P. Dewey - Softball Coach
Churchville/ Chili High School

I have been involved in coaching Section V softball for the past 20 years and before that as a player in Webster. I have watched some of the greatest female athletes in our area compete and be successful in softball. The sport has grown tremendously with regard to level of play and number of participants. We have a great deal to be proud of in our area with fastpitch softball. There are many dedicated coaches, kids and parents who promote the sport in a positive way.

Softball is the ultimate team sport -- to be successful you cannot rely on just one player or position; you need the total team. There are many dominant pitchers and hitters, but they would be the first to admit that they need the rest of the team to truly be successful. Even if a pitcher strikes out every batter she faces, someone on the team has to hit in order for her team to score a run. This sport helps girls develop trust, dedication, discipline and appreciation for others' abilities. It also helps improve a girl's level of concentration. Softball is very much a mental game, and that can be a "skill" that is overlooked. Softball is a game where the mental and physical components of athletics work together, and that's what makes our sport great!

In the Rochester area, we have to battle the environment: cold, wet springs and hot, dry summers. We start our school seasons in a gymnasium; playing an outdoor sport inside for four to six weeks is challenging. Still, sometimes the first time a team actually plays on a field is its first game. As coaches, we all do our best to make sure our players are ready for anything; and the challenges of this sport are unique. Let's hope we can "play ball" early this spring!

Good luck to all in 2003!

 

 

Head Coach Linda Enquist from U.C.L.A and Eric Benson,
Lady Red Wings coach at McAvoy Park 8-17-02