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| Jen Shea, head
softball coach, assistant field hockey coach, teaches swimming as an
adjunct professor of athletics. |
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| Posted 04.17.06 |
Softball Coach Takes a Swing at Three Sports
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Q: At what age did
you first pick up a bat and ball, and where was this?
A: I grew up in Hatfield, Massachusetts. Hatfield is a small town of 3,500
people with a strong athletic tradition. When I was in elementary school,
the high school’s varsity softball team won back-to-back state titles and
that is when I really became interested in the sport. I started off playing
T-ball when I was in first grade and then graduated to slow-pitch softball
when I was in fourth grade. I started playing fast-pitch when I was in
seventh grade.
Q: Did you always excel in softball or other sports? What positions did you
play?
A: I was a three-sport athlete in high school: field hockey, basketball and
softball. I was always a pitcher in softball, but it wasn’t until my
sophomore year of high school that I really started to be successful. During
my senior year of high school, I threw four consecutive no-hitters. Also
during my senior year, our field hockey team went undefeated and won the
Division I state title. Team accomplishments have always been more important
to me than individual ones.
Q: Are softball and field hockey similar in any way?
A: Softball and field hockey really aren’t similar at all. I started playing
them both when I was younger because they were the only sports offered in my
school during their respective seasons. I really enjoy field hockey, but
softball has always been my first passion.
Q: During your undergraduate years at Amherst, I understand you were the
team captain of both the softball and field hockey teams. What were your
biggest accomplishments?
A: My biggest accomplishment in softball was definitely winning the Little
Three title my senior year. We had never beaten Williams in softball and
then we swept them in a doubleheader the last weekend of the regular season
to not only win the Little Three title, but also to secure a bid to the NCAA
tournament. We went into NCAAs as the No. 5 seed in the New England Region
and made it all the way to the finals. Being named to the New England Region
All-Tournament Team was definitely an honor. In field hockey, I was selected
to play in the Division III North-South All-Star game in 1997, but being the
No. 1 team in New England my junior year and being selected for the NCAA
Division III tournament was a bigger thrill.
Q: What did you receive your degrees in and when did you decide that
coaching is what you wanted to do for a living?
A: I have a bachelor’s degree in American studies from Amherst and a
master’s degree in exercise and sports studies from Smith College. I went to
college planning on majoring in math or computer science, but realized
during my sophomore year that sports meant more to mean than just another
extra-curricular activity. I had an internship in the sports department of a
local newspaper during the summer of 1997 because I thought I wanted to go
into sports journalism. It was during that time that I realized I wanted to
be on the field teaching and coaching, not just covering games from the
sidelines.
Q: How old is your softball glove, and how many have you gone through in
your softball career?
A: My current glove is only about a year old. The previous one I had was
from when I was in college and it finally became time to retire it last
year. This is probably my fifth glove since I started playing.
Q: What months does the softball season span? Field hockey? When do the
women begin training?
A: Softball practice begins on Feb. 15 each year and the season goes through
the end of April. Field hockey practice begins during the end of August and
the season ends at the end of October. Training for both sports really
occurs year-round these days as the athletes need to stay in shape and on
top of their game mentally and physically.
Q: You’re midway through the current softball season. How is the team
looking?
A: Each year since I’ve been here the team has gotten better and I feel the
same is true this year. There’s a mix of eight returners and nine new
players, so there has definitely been learning and growing processes
involved. The women on the team are supportive of one another and work hard
everyday in practice. I don’t think our record is a true indicator of the
potential that the team has and we have a lot left to show in the next two
weeks.
Q: Who are you leading hitters and fielders?
A: Molly Gaebe ’07 is our leading hitter and also a top pitcher along with
Karla Hargrave ’08 and Dayna Yorks ’07. Marcia Whitehead ’08 is a rock
defensively at third base and Becca Feiden ’08 patrols center field. They
are also two of our top hitters as well. Tri-captains Beth Bernstein ’06,
Sarah Gillooly ’06 and Lynn Leber ’06 have all done an excellent job in
leading this young team.
Q: Tell me about your spring break.
A: We went to California for spring break and played 14 games while we were
out there. The trip was highlighted by the team’s first win over NESCAC
rival Tufts in 11 years.
Q: What do you look for in student-athletes?
A: I want student-athletes who are going to work hard, want to be coached,
and are going to make the team a priority. I think academics and athletics
go hand-in-hand and I look for student-athletes who want to succeed in both
arenas.
Q: Do you currently play on any teams or are you strictly focusing on
coaching?
A: I started playing club field hockey this past fall after a hiatus of
several years. I also played a little slow-pitch softball last summer and am
planning on continuing to play this summer.
Q: What class do you teach as an adjunct assistant professor?
A: I teach Swimming for Fitness. I enjoy teaching physical education classes
at Wesleyan because it gives me a chance to meet more of the student body
than just my players. Swimming is a life-long sport so I feel I’m helping
the students learn something that they can use after they leave Wesleyan.
Q: During the summers of 1999 and 2000, you were the head coach of the West
scholastic division softball squad in the Bay State Games in Massachusetts.
Where else did you coach before coming to Wesleyan in 2001?
A: After graduating from Amherst, I was selected as the college’s Hitchock
Fellow in Physical Education. My responsibilities included being an
assistant coach in three sports - field hockey, basketball, and softball -
as well as teaching physical education classes. During that year I decided
that coaching was the career I definitely wanted to embark upon. While I was
in graduate school at Smith College, I continued to coach at Amherst as the
assistant field hockey coach in 1999 and co-head softball coach in 2000 and
2001. I also was a sub-varsity field hockey coach at Williston-Northampton
School in the fall of 2000 and the middle school girls’ basketball coach at
my alma mater, Smith Academy, in the winter of 2000-2001.
Q: Who are your assistant coaches in softball?
A: My assistants this year are E.J. Heng and Leah Kelley. Both were
stand-out players at the Division I level. E.J. is from California and
played college ball at U.C.-Santa Barbara, while Leah is from Western
Massachusetts. She played softball at Yale and is now an assistant dean of
admission at Wesleyan. They are great assistants who have added a great deal
of insight and have helped make me a better coach.
Q: Do you ever just go out and throw a ball for fun?
A: Sure! Just yesterday after practice, Leah and I jumped in the batting
cage to take some swings. And often while the team is warming up at the
beginning of practice, my assistants and I will warm-up our arms, too. It
keeps us young!
Q: How influential was your family in your sports career?
A: I am very close with my family and my parents have been very supportive
of me and my teams. They often travel down to Middletown from Massachusetts
to watch us play. I really appreciate all the advice and encouragement they
have given me over the years. If it weren’t for them, I would have never
gotten involved in sports in the first place.
Q: Do you have any plans for the summer?
A: My summer project, besides recruiting for softball, is going to be
renovating a house that I’m in the process of buying. It’s a little
daunting, but I’m excited to get started and finally have a place to call my
own. I’m also a huge Red Sox fan and I try to go to some games every summer
and was even lucky enough to see a play-off game at Fenway in 2004 when the
Sox were on their way to winning the World Series. There’s nothing like
baseball in the summer!
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| By
Olivia Bartlett, The Wesleyan Connection
editor |
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