Feb. 24, 2012

Our University’s very own alumni softball player Taryne Mowatt (04-08) is taking on the next big chapter in her life. She is starting a new career at Cal Baptist University located in Riverside California. She began her coaching endeavor in the fall of 2011 and will continue her career there as an assistant coach. Taryne was ecstatic to be able to snatch up an opportunity to continue her passion working in softball; but she also will now have the unique opportunity to coach her sister, Jordan Mowatt. The A- Club was able to catch up with Taryne and ask her a few questions on her new journey!

What are the greatest challenges and changes you have experienced going from being a collegiate player to now coaching at the collegiate level?

The biggest difference for me would be explaining how to do things in all different ways so each and every player can understand it. You have to get to know every player’s personalities and coach accordingly to what is going to make them perform at their best. Also, the long hours sitting in the office doing the behind the scenes paperwork. I never realized how much coaches do off the field and recruiting wise. The best part of coaching is building the coach/player relationship. When a player feels close enough to come to you with their problems and questions, it’s a great feeling to be a role model to them and help them through their everyday struggles. I know exactly what it’s like to have to balance school, softball, and just life in general so I get to share my experiences with the girls. When you go to bed wondering how all the players are doing and if they’re okay, you know you’ve officially become a coach!

You have played multiple years for the NPF and PFX leagues, are you going to continue playing while coaching?

I would like to continue to play and that would be the ultimate goal whether it is here in the States or overseas, but it will depend on my coaching schedule. The summer is a big time for recruiting and I don’t want to miss out on some great players we could sign. If I am able to do both then I will continue to play, but my priority is coaching. Hopefully someday, with the work that today’s professional softball players are doing, retiring at a young age won’t be the norm. We would like professional softball to become a career option and be able to play year round. It has taken many strides and the players of this generation are working very hard to spread the knowledge of our sport so future generations can make softball a career. So for all the fans out there, let’s help make this a reality!

What have been your greatest accomplishments as a collegiate athlete and now professional athlete?

Greatest accomplishments as a collegiate athlete would definitely have to be the two national championships we won. It’s hard enough to win one, let alone two of them and to be able to do that with my best friends was unbelievably rewarding. As a professional athlete I think the greatest accomplishments are the ones off the field. Being able to lay the groundwork for the future and be part of a group of women that truly love the sport. Plus, I’ve been fortunate enough to play with the best players in the world.

What was the funniest experience you had as an Arizona softball player?

Hmm… the funniest experience I ever had at Arizona? Can I choose all four years because there never was a dull moment. There’s actually one experience that only the outfielders in 2006 would really remember (at the time I was in the outfield, but that its own funny story). Anyways, it was around St. Patrick’s Day and we had just split up into infield/outfield drills. We were going along with our drop steps when all of a sudden we noticed there was a leprechaun peeking over the centerfield wall. The strange thing about this was that he wasn’t moving. We were all joking about it because this leprechaun looked so real. So, Autumn (Champion) threw a ball at the wooden wall and it made a huge sound, but yet the leprechaun still didn’t move. About 30 seconds after the ball hit the wall, we were all staring at him, he did a creepy head turn where I swear his head almost turned all the way around and he just stared at us expressionless. We being girls, all started screaming and talking, and then when we turned to look at him again he was gone. Nowhere to be found at all and there is only one way out of the stadium during practice. Moral of the story, to this day we swear leprechauns are real and we saw a real life one. It was eerie and hilarious all at the same time.

What was it like pitching the entire 2007 World Series and bringing home a National Championship?

Pitching the entire World Series in 2007 was exhilarating, tough, rewarding, and mostly exhausting! That was a roller coaster year where, from the beginning, many things didn’t go as planned. Our team stuck together and turned out a fairytale ending. That was an amazing week where every game was thrilling and all we knew was that we were going to keep giving everything until the very end. I just remember before the games, being in the bullpen with Cal (Balko) and both of us being tired, but still joking around saying that we’ll have to see how much more we have. I think the best moment for me was when we were in the bottom of the 7th inning and up 5-0. I remember when there were 2 outs I looked around the field and everyone was glancing back and forth at each other with a sparkle in their eye because we all just couldn’t wait for the celebration. Then when the last out was recorded by Jenae (Leles), her and I jumped up so high and hugged and everyone else rushed in. Then comes Chelsie (Mesa) and she knocked us over so we could all dog pile. I never wanted that celebration to end! It was the best feeling in the world!

We would like to thank Taryne Mowatt for taking the time to meet with us and wish her luck in her new endeavor as a college coach!!