Softball coach/alumni Kelly Latendresse

Kelly Latendresse has a tremendous drive and passion for the game of softball.  As a player at JCCC, it helped her become one of program's all-time great performers. Now as a coach for JCCC, it has helped drive her team to an unprecedented level of play, on and off the field.

As a player, Latendresse was a first-team All-American and one of the nation's top run producers.  She also led JCCC to back-to-back conference and region championships and two appearances in the NJCAA National Tournament. Now in her fourth season as the Lady Cavaliers head softball coach, Latendresse has become one of the bright young coaches in the country. She also has led JCCC to three straight NJCAA tournament appearances in her first three seasons at the helm, a first for JCCC. 

"I don't really get caught up in the individual accolades, but I do think about all the people who helped me have succeed," Latendresse said.  "My dad taking to me practice and games growing up, my coaches, my teammates, and now I have great kids."

JCCC does have a rich tradition in softball.  Fifteen times in the 31-year history of the program, the Lady Cavaliers have played in the national tournament, and five of those times they have finished in the top five.  In Latendresse's first season in 2007, she led the team to its best finish all-time, placing second.

"I want these student-athletes to understand they are part of a program and to take pride in that program," Latendresse said.  "When I was recruited to JCCC, the school sold itself.  I was drawn to the softball program because of its success and that I could play right away. That is what I sell the kids on now.  Come here and get the experience of doing rather than watching."

While Latendresse has maintained JCCC's national tournament presence, she has done so with her own style and approach to the game.  Always a defensive-minded and station-to-station team under previous head coaches, today's JCCC teams still play tough defense, but have a swing-for-the-fences mentality at the plate.  During the Latendresse era, JCCC has hit an amazing 171 home runs, including a school record 76 in 2007. To put that in perspective, the previous best season was 27.  Her two teams that followed hit 59 and 36 home runs, also bettering the previous standard.  And why the sudden power surge?

"The game has changed and the athletes have changed, so we have had to adapt to those changes," Latendresse said.  "We now are more offensively focused."

Latendresse also drives her team to work just as hard and be as successful off the field.  She has coached eight NJCAA Academic All-Americans and last fall 76 percent of her roster posted a grade point average of 3.0 or better, second among all the teams at JCCC.

"I want my girls to understand that academics come first in this program," Latendresse said.  "School is so important to their futures."

For most softball players, their careers end when they graduate. There is not the opportunity to play professionally, as in baseball, and that is why Latendresse emphasizes the importance of education and helps her team plan for their academic futures. 

"Four-year universities are really looking at their recruits' GPAs," Latendresse said. "They want student-athletes with a 3.0 or above, so the girls that do want to continue playing can't afford to have poor grades.  We also have a lot of girls on the team looking to go into nursing, dental hygiene and even some wanting to become doctors.  Those are very selective programs, and grades are important. I have student-athletes on this team, and they are students first, athletes second."