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Pelegreen new WJU softball head coach

Sara Pelegreen

WHEELING — Harrison Central graduate Sara Pelegreen has been named the softball coach at Wheeling Jesuit University.

She moves up from being the pitching coach the past two seasons.

“When the job came available, I absolutely knew I would apply for it,” Pelegreen said. “While I know other candidates I was up against had the head coaching experience, what I had over them was my knowledge of Wheeling Jesuit. I know what our program is about and how much it took to get it where it is now from where it used to be. I love my players, and they know I will do anything for them, so it was easy for me to apply.

“Plus I’m a Valley girl, and if I can stay nearby home and coach a team I love, why wouldn’t I jump on that opportunity?

“I’m so thankful for this opportunity. The group of players we have on our softball team are such hard-working individuals, and it’s simply a blessing to continue being a part of their family.

“My passion for softball has always been in my heart, and the fact I get to continue doing what I love as a head coach is more than I could have ever imagined.”

This is a bit of a career-path adjustment for Pelegreen.

The Hopedale native earned her bachelor’s of science degree in communications with an emphasis in journalism from West Virginia State.

“Coaching in general was never on my mind when I graduated college,” Pelegreen said. “It wasn’t something I thought I would ever make a career in even when I took my graduate assistant job. But in December, I went to a softball convention in Atlanta and got the opportunity to be around college coaches at all levels and hear big time coaches like (Alabama head coach) Pat Murphy speak and I knew then I wanted to coach.

“I was very much re-inspired about the game of softball and it was like a light bulb went off and knew coaching was what I was meant to do. It is very much an unexpected blessing and I’m so thankful for it.”

Pelegreen has helped the WJU program take big steps in the Mountain East Conference. It enjoyed its first .500 season two years ago (20-20, after starting the season 2-7) and recorded a breakout 35-20 campaign last spring.

“I want to continue to build upon the tradition that has already been set forth in this program,” Pelegreen said. “A commitment to excellence is what we already expect from our players, but teaching them to love, serve and care for each other will kick start them to become the outstanding people we hope they will be when they leave Wheeling Jesuit University.

“My favorite thing about our program, and the university as a whole, is the family atmosphere. Everywhere you walk, everyone says hi and is willing to help you. I’m a huge family person, so bringing those values as a core of my coaching is really important to me.”

While her coaching background may be a bit limited, her involvement of the game is far from limited.

The 2009 Harrison Central graduate started playing the game at 3 and pitching since 10.

She’s been around and played for a lot of coaches in her career.

“I will take away a little bit from every coach I coached with and played for,” Pelegreen said. “That’s how you find who you are as a coach. You take what you like from here and there, add your twist to it and make it your own. The number one thing I’ve learned is that you have to coach each player individually.

“You have to figure out how each of them respond to your type of coaching and go from there. When you can learn who each of your players are as a person, it’s much easier to coach them.”

Before pitching in the Atlantic Regional her senior season, Pelegreen was 13-3 with a 1.94 ERA in 108 innings. She struckout 92, allowed 30 earned runs, hurled three shutouts and 11 complete games.

Under Pelegreen, the Cardinals’ pitching staff decreased its ERA from 6.33 to 2.78 in two seasons, and decreased again to 2.52 for 2016. Opponents’ batting average has dropped from .317 to .250, in two seasons as well.

Pelegreen’s pitchers led the MEC with 324 strikeouts in 2016, while they tied for fourth in ERA, hits (381), runs (192), and earned runs (136) over 377.2 innings of work. The WJU staff also produced eight shutouts, four times as many before Pelegreen took over, and 30 complete games.

As for recruiting?

“I wouldn’t say I will ‘concentrate’ on OVAC players,” she said. “If they are in the OVAC and an athletic softball player, I want them on my radar. And with my local ties, I hope to recruit more locally, especially if I think a player can play at our level.

“But, I also want to expand our recruiting area.

“We have a lot of Ohio, Pa. and W.Va. players now, and at this level, sometimes you have to look farther than that to stay competitive in our league.

“I want to broaden our horizons a little, and that’s something we’ve started recently, so I want to continue doing that, as well as looking local.”

Pelegreen is completing her master’s degree in organizational leadership from Wheeling Jesuit in December.

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