Back in March I texted Alex’s high school softball coach to let her know Alex’s college team would be playing close to home at the end of the month. On the day of the game, as Alex and her Bloomsburg Husky teammates took the field, I looked over my shoulder and saw that coach making her way towards us. I’m not gonna lie… it choked me up a little – here was a woman who teaches full time, coaches, and has kids of her own who play a multitude of sports; she had coached Alex for only 3 seasons plus 1 game (Covid robbed them of Alex’s final season) but there she was, on a Sunday, supporting my girl.
It was a testament to her love of the game but to this ever-grateful mom, it spoke more to the love she has for her players. I’ve always said good coaches build athletes; great coaches build human beings. It cannot be disputed – Jackie Levy is a successful coach. Her 9-year record as Everett Varsity softball coach speaks for itself: 142 wins, 27 losses, 9 consecutive years of playoff appearances, 2-time district runner up, 4 district Championships, 3 Elite Eight appearances and 1 State Championship (more on that one later…). So, yeah… I think we can all agree Jackie knows how to win but it’s the relationship she has with her players that makes her standout (and her earrings… I can spot her from the outfield bleachers – just gotta look for those earrings).
Her coaching style can best be described as ‘positive encouragement’, no yelling, no blaming, no beating down – only lifting up. It has always been her ability to coach the athlete and nurture the girl that makes her players want to win for her. And that nurturing doesn’t end when a girl hangs up her red and white jersey, either; Jackie follows Alex’s college softball career but more importantly she routinely asks how Alex is doing off the field. Yep, no doubt about it… Jackie is a great coach.
Sadly, for Everett softball… this was Jackie’s last season in the dugout; from here on out – she, and her husband Josh, can be found in the stands cheering on their kids – Lyla, Colin, and Grant. She knew this day was coming the very day she accepted her first coaching position… when she agreed to one year because she and Josh were starting their family. Eleven years later (she spent 2 with the junior high team) Jackie has a lot to be proud of, her stats… yes, but more importantly she’s shown these young ladies how to balance a rewarding career with a loving family life.
The irony of it all is that at no time was she more of a mentor to her players than when she decided to step down, “I can always come back to coaching but I can’t come back to being a mom of little kids…” When the balance isn’t working… ya gotta tip the scales yourself.
Even with the excitement of more time with their mom, her kids are understandably devastated – their entire childhood was spent at the Everett softball field. I’m hoping the kids tuck those memories away in a safe place and enjoy the new days of seeing their mom in the stands. And I feel sure Jackie will feel a sense of loss next spring but I’m even more sure she’ll wonder how she managed life when she was coaching. The already-hectic pace of her family life is about to know no bounds. The Levy kids… are on the move.
Lyla, an 8th grader, is an incredible athlete; fiery and competitive, she’s already turning heads on the soccer field, basketball court and of course… the softball field. When you can pry the cleats off her feet, she also plays a mean trumpet (gotta give a shoutout to athlete/musician parents… I’ve lived it… it’s exhausting – you think you’ve got a free day during the season only to find out your kid has to be at the auditorium by 6:30). I have no doubt this little spitfire will make a name for herself.
Colin, a 6th grader, is an equally good athlete competing in soccer, football, and basketball. He, too, is a musician, finding his groove on the saxophone. His most unique trait is his relationship with the Lord, a love so profound that they call him Reverend Levy. His sensitive nature is as endearing as Lyla’s fire.
Grant will be entering kindergarten and is a typical third child (I speak from my own experience, here). He’ll give Jackie and Josh a run for their money. He, like my Abby, is filled with passion – he loves hard but plays harder. He’s a baseball All-Star, a wrestler, and an upcoming soccer player. He’s a tough guy with a big heart.
So, while the thought of an Everett softball game without Jackie in the 3rd base coach’s box seems unthinkable… I totally get it. I’m just glad my daughter had the opportunity to play for Coach Levy before she turned in her scorebook.
Speaking of her scorebook…
Those pages were graced with some big-time names: Morral, Reffner, Colledge, Iseminger (hey… it’s my article…), Hillegas and Price. But no scorebook told a more successful story than that of the 2023 season. The year history was made. The season that ended with a State Championship.
It could be argued that the success of the 2023 season began with the loss to Laurel in the Elite Eight game the previous season (incidentally, that would be the only loss of that season and the last loss of Jackie’s career). Her girls knew they could’ve… should’ve… gone farther and from that day on – their sights were set on a championship. Though that team graduated a number of great players, including 4 starters; the dedication to the goal ran deep through the dugout.
It was a talented dugout to say the least. I asked Jackie to tell me something about each of her players and instead of me trying to capture these players with my words, I’m going to use Jackie’s…
Olivia Hillegas– (Sr, Pitcher)- Liv or Livy Lou- I call her pitches and usually I can be found throwing the pitch along with her in the dugout. When she comes to the plate you know other teams are wishing it wasn’t her. I love that I have been able to coach Liv- her attitude and work ethic are top notch- she has so much hometown pride and loves playing at Everett. I heard one of the other players say in the dugout at some point this year- she is the glue that keeps things together. She’s also so ornery and goofy- I give her some of the credit for allowing me to loosen up and have so much fun this year- the music (OMG By Usher), the after-hit celebrations (“why are you rocking a baby?”), and dancing on the bus rides (did I just get on tiktok?!? after the State Championship Game!)
Kirstin Feathers– (Soph, Catcher) – You may see her in photos smiling big and giving a thumbs up but when this girl gets behind the plate, she is ALL business- she looks so serious that I often will ask her- “Feathers you havin’ a good time, havin’ fun yet?” Even at the Championship game during warm-ups I asked her- “Are you having fun yet”? She knows her job behind the plate, and I couldn’t ask for more out of her. At times when she had to bat behind Liv, she would look at me, laugh, and say “I have to follow up that again- I need to get a new place in this lineup”- but she has her own knack for hitting the ball hard and getting on base- she is exactly where she needed to be!
Denae Mobus (Sr, 1B)- Denae has an amazing glove and a great eye at the plate- you can always count on her going deep in a count, working the pitcher. Denae is such a smart young lady- top of her class- her softball IQ is equally high. There is always sunscreen and very cute sunglasses when Denae is involved- Hollywood style!
Addison Wood– (Fr, P, 1B) – Addy came on strong at the end of the season- she pitched a few games throughout the season but came up big in the batter’s box through playoffs. Her unwavering confidence going into the box is something that I truly admire in this freshman. She charted pitches for me and got very good at analyzing what we should throw and when- I think it has made her a more mature ball player. However, don’t hide her Aquaphor or there will be trouble.
Jade Colledge– (Fr, 2B) Steady Eddie- or Ed for short- a name you can hear us yelling at her from the dugout when she snags a ball. In the batter’s box she is always able to put the ball in play. Not one to smile for a photo- but throughout the playoffs I have caught her showing some teeth for pictures. If you aren’t cheating, you aren’t trying- as she likes to say anytime we are playing a competitive game at practice- this girl hates to lose!
Marissa Hillegas– (Jr,3B) – Such an intimidating thing to look out from the batter’s box and see Marissa almost being close enough to touch you. Her ability to snag a grounder is a thing of beauty. It is an image that I will miss. What an athlete and an all-around nice kid. She is always concerned about what is right for the team and being the best teammate she can be. She got a hot bat throughout the playoffs, and I enjoyed yelling “Stay Hot Riss” from the coach’s box!
Morgan Bowser– (Fr, SS) – An outfielder by nature this freshman had to grow up quick and make a jump to SS- this is something that made our puzzle fit together this season. The girl has a missile for an arm. Came up with some key hits to help [get back to the top of the order] – and that speed on the bases is fantastic. She is the type of kid who doesn’t give herself enough credit for how good she is. I have never been more excited than to see her end the state semi-final game by recording the final 2 outs – her confidence soared, and it made my heart so happy.
Ava Weicht– (Jr, LF) – not one announcer could get her name correct the entire post season- I even put a pronunciation key beside her name. She has gained so much confidence through the year. Her play this post season has kept our team going. I am actually sad to see the season end because the more we win the more she talks.
Cloe Price– (Jr, CF)- I am so glad she is on our team! She is a threat in all 3 facets of the game- fielding, hitting, and baserunning. Often times the ball will be across the field from her but somehow, she is right there- I’ll say, “how’d she get there so fast!”. She can hit for power or lay down a bunt for a single. I tell her not to be a “cowboy” on the bases- but secretly I love it when she does a delayed steal or purposely gets into a run down to get ahead on the bases. I will forever love yelling an emotional “Let’s Go” to her when she gets the team fired up when she gets on base. Watching her play gets me excited to coach- even when she wears a toy fishing net on her head.
Izzy Brady– (Jr, RF)- Izzy Brady is one of the easiest going humans on this planet. She is quiet and took care of what needed to be done on the right side of the outfield. Always good for a giggle and a smile- even when I picked on her for always wanting to take a nap. At least every other practice I had to yell out to her- “you ok out there Brady?” I know she was going to tell me she was fine even if she wasn’t- there was no way you were keeping her off the field.
Makenna Richards– (Sr, DP)- There has been no stage too big for Makenna when it comes to her focus in the batter’s box. The homerun in the final game was amazing (plus lots of other wonderful words)- I will never forget the look on her face and the genuine tears of joy on her face as she came around the bases- she has always risen to the occasion and come up with a big hit whenever the team needed it! I will forever be saying UGT(You Got This) to her- which is her favorite call on the wristbands. She is also so funny and witty- I told her she should be a stand-up comedian!
Lilly Bryant– (Soph, Outfield) – Lilly has worked so hard and made so much progress throughout the year. Her hitting is the thing that really has come along the most- she had one of her first at bats at Fannett Metal- when she got a hit the dugout erupted in cheers because they know the work that she has put in. I have loved getting to see her sassy side this season- we talk about watching the other team and picking out tendencies and such- I enjoyed when she would come and say- hey this is what I see – she was always looking for a way to better our team!
Ella McCahan– (Soph, Outfield)- Ella has so much team pride it radiates from her- she gets it honest I know her family! In the outfield she has come a long way and is so coachable. She is always working hard at practice and helping to push the starters to do better. Ella embodies what it means to be a team player.
Betsy Brennan– (Soph, Outfield)- Betsy- also known as Betsy Bull. She is the first to get her glove and a ball to make sure that someone warms up the outfield. Her baking skills are on point- she is always bringing treats for the bus rides- I think the favorite is her chocolate covered strawberries. My favorite memory of Betsy this season is when she came in to pinch hit and put the ball out past the right fielder- I was sending her home. I didn’t care if the play was going to be close because I wanted her to get that home run more than anything.
Each of those girls contributed in some way but as with most successful sports stories, this State Championship season was a team effort. The Lady Warriors’ defense, led by Olivia’s regular-season 0.52 ERA, was a force to be reckoned with for sure, but it was their offense that was unstoppable. In their 5 playoff games alone, these ladies scored 63 runs. I was only fortunate enough to catch one game this season and all I could think was, “how in the world did Jackie decide the batting order?” My word those girls could smash a softball. And smash it they did… all the way into the history books – as the first softball team in the county and District 5 to win a state title.
I asked her what was different about this year and without hesitation she told me she was different. She had hit her stride, finally trusting enough in her own abilities to be able to push her players to trust in theirs. She was able to expect more out of them and the girls ran with it. The confidence of every person in that dugout soared and the vibe relaxed. The recipe for success in team sports is 1 part talent, 1 part chemistry and the 2023 Everett softball team was measured to perfection.
I got to chat with Jackie the night before the Championship game at a summer-league basketball game. My daughter Abby plays, and the basketball coach had “called up” Lyla to help out the varsity team since a few of the players also played softball – it seemed a good idea to keep those girls off the basketball court until the Championship had been decided. True to form, Lyla was driving into the paint and scoring, sometimes with 3 upperclassmen defending her… I’m tellin’ ya – this girl is gonna be fun to watch.
So, there we were after the game, talking about the next day’s activities when Jackie smiled and said, “I have a fun story… on the last day of school I ran back into my classroom to grab line-up cards because I worried I wouldn’t be able to get into the school the next week before the D5 Championship game. I reached into the drawer where I’ve always kept them, I grabbed the cards and saw that I had only 5 left… I thought, ‘wouldn’t that be something… to use all of these…’ because for us to be in the State Championship game would require exactly 5 cards… it was totally unplanned. But here I am, getting ready to fill in that last card tomorrow.”
Nine very successful years of coaching varsity softball at Everett Area High School came to an end on June 15th at Beard Field, Penn State when Jackie walked away with the Championship trophy and nary a line-up card left….
