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Post by coacht on Aug 16, 2022 13:27:52 GMT -5
WORCESTER, Mass. – Holy Cross softball head coach Kimberly Stiles has announced the hiring of Alexis Bermudez as an assistant coach and former Crusader student-athlete Erin Bengston as a volunteer assistant coach.
Alexis seems a bit light on coaching experience, but had a solid career as a player. As a former D1 pitcher, I'm hopeful she'll be able to get the most out of our staff.
Getting Erin back as a volunteer assistant should be great for the program. She had a good career, understands the stresses of balancing a D1 playing career with the academic requirements of HC. She'll be a great connection between the players and the coaching staff.
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Post by longsuffering on Aug 16, 2022 22:14:21 GMT -5
I just re-read head coach Kimberly Stiles' biography. Holy Cross hired a head coach with eleven years of successful head coaching experience and a solid career winning record.
What did she do when she arrived? Raised the team batting average 48 points and led the Crusaders to their first 20 win season since 1999. HC has gone this route in FB and SB. In WBB HC hired an experience head coach without a career winning record but at a tough place to win and she has won at HC.
Three head coaches of major sports MBB, MH, WH all had solid experience as long time assistants at higher level programs but haven't solved the mystery of winning at HC yet.
Best wishes to all the coaches and sports but I hope Kit can see a pattern that HC is a tough place to make your head coaching debut even if the industry, including search firms, seems to see it as an excellent spot to place a career assistant from a higher rated D-1 program who has paid his or her dues and is "ready."
Back to SB, HC presumably outbid the University of Charleston to hire coach Stiles. Hiring an entry level assistant and recruiting an entry level volunteer assistant presumably cost a modest amount of resources. That is a savvy way to manage the budget and to use Holy Cross as an entry level opportunity for assistants not head coaches, imo.
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Post by bfoley82 on Aug 17, 2022 0:00:49 GMT -5
I just re-read head coach Kimberly Stiles' biography. Holy Cross hired a head coach with eleven years of successful head coaching experience and a solid career winning record. What did she do when she arrived? Raised the team batting average 48 points and led the Crusaders to their first 20 win season since 1999. HC has gone this route in FB and SB. In WBB HC hired an experience head coach without a career winning record but at a tough place to win and she has won at HC. Three head coaches of major sports MBB, MH, WH all had solid experience as long time assistants at higher level programs but haven't solved the mystery of winning at HC yet. Best wishes to all the coaches and sports but I hope Kit can see a pattern that HC is a tough place to make your head coaching debut even if the industry, including search firms, seems to see it as an excellent spot to place a career assistant from a higher rated D-1 program who has paid his or her dues and is "ready." Back to SB, HC presumably outbid the University of Charleston to hire coach Stiles. Hiring an entry level assistant and recruiting an entry level volunteer assistant presumably cost a modest amount of resources. That is a savvy way to manage the budget and to use Holy Cross as an entry level opportunity for assistants not head coaches, imo. They are allowed at least two paid assistant coaches...are they going to hire a second? Or are they being cheap? |
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Post by bison137 on Aug 17, 2022 0:17:05 GMT -5
They are allowed at least two paid assistant coaches...are they going to hire a second? Or are they being cheap? Or, to be more exact, they are allowed no more than two assistant coaches. |
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Post by bfoley82 on Aug 17, 2022 1:12:20 GMT -5
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Post by purplehaze on Aug 17, 2022 6:13:11 GMT -5
I follow the SB program
- yes, Stiles did a great job this past season
- she came from Charleston College (W. Va.) not the College of Charleston (SC)
- last season’s schedule had more low D1 schools among the ooc
and the team played well against the bottom of PL
- SB is pitching intensive - she had sr. Kelly Nelson for big games and there is no one on ‘23 roster as talented
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Post by longsuffering on Aug 17, 2022 9:29:48 GMT -5
I follow the SB program - yes, Stiles did a great job this past season - she came from Charleston College (W. Va.) not the College of Charleston (SC) - last season’s schedule had more low D1 schools among the ooc and the team played well against the bottom of PL - SB is pitching intensive - she had sr. Kelly Nelson for big games and there is no one on ‘23 roster as talented The HC biography says she worked five years as the head coach at the University of Charleston, leading me to be very impressed and thinking it was the D-1 school in Charleston. The way colleges change to University these days the website and Haze may be basically correct. The University of Charleston is D-2, the College of Charleston is D-1 and Google doesn't have a Charleston College. So, I'm assuming now she came from head coach of D-2 University of Charleston, which is still better than becoming head coach at HC after being a career assistant at D-1 based on the trend I am observing with HC head coach hires. |
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Post by coacht on Aug 17, 2022 10:59:37 GMT -5
Yes, Coach Stiles was a D2 Head Coach at U of Charleston before she took over HCSB. And yes, I agree that the head coach gig at HC shouldn't be your first head coaching gig. As 'Haze has pointed out, her schedule was favorable last year and she did have Ms. Nelson in the circle, a seemingly once in a decade talent for HCSB. What we don't know yet is how she'll do recruiting quality athletes to a program that likely has fewer scholarships than she had at U of C, a financial aid policy that doesn't "stack" need, merit and athletic awards and a much higher academic requirement for admission. I've heard she's closed the books on her 2023 incoming class, so we'll get a better idea next year. For now, her roster consists of players identified and committed by Coach Lapicki.
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