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Then-St. Francis Head Coach Jennifer Patrick-Swift was looking for a graduate assistant to help with her team’s pitching in 2016. While sifting through applicants, she noticed a resume from an aspiring coach who applied for a different position.

Patrick-Swift quickly called Katie McEachern, who was months removed from her senior season at Dartmouth. After talking, Patrick-Swift believed McEachern fit what the team was looking for, so she hired her even though McEachern never applied for the position.

Following two years at St. Francis, McEachern became an assistant at Fordham before getting her first power-conference job at Syracuse in August under head coach Shannon Doepking, who McEachern played for in college at Dartmouth. Doepking and McEachern have stayed in touch since, and when SU had a coaching vacancy this offseason, Doepking chose to fill it with her former shortstop, whose abilities as a hitting coach significantly improved Fordham’s batting in recent seasons.

“She’s been a mentor of mine these last six years,” McEachern said of Doepking. “She’s been someone that I’ve always gone to for advice or perspective.”

Shortly after graduating from Dartmouth in 2016, McEachern found her passion for coaching overseas. Doepking helped McEachern connect with a semi-pro team in Sweden, and she spent her first summer out of college playing and coaching for the Skövde Saints. The team finds Americans to teach the sport to the rest of the players, McEachern said, while also playing alongside them.

McEachern was blown away by the passion for the sport she saw in Sweden. The progress she made with the players made her wonder what it would be like coaching college players with more experience, leading her to pursue the assistant position at St. Francis after returning to the U.S.

After arriving at St. Francis, McEachern quickly made an impact on the Red Flash’s hitting. St. Francis won back-to-back Northeast Conference championships and went undefeated in conference play during her time there, helping her land the Fordham job in 2018.

Maya Goosmann | Digital Design Director

Maria Trivelpiece was entering her senior season at Fordham when McEachern was hired. She said McEachern immediately stuck out because of her ability to understand players.

“It was one of the first times I actually felt like someone was listening to me,” Trivelpiece said. “She was just so great at connecting with everyone in a different way and tailoring the way she was coaching to the player because everyone can’t be coached the exact same way. “

McEachern said she learned the importance of connecting with players from Doepking, and that understanding the player as a person can help unlock their potential.

“You can only push people if you know them,” McEachern said. “The relationship piece above all else is how you’re able to coach these kids to give more than they know that they can.”

McEachern has a unique ability to coach hitting because of her creativity, Fordham head coach Melissa Inouye said. Trivelpiece said this came into play when McEachern helped with her swing since she was having trouble generating power from her lower half. McEachern found an innovative solution, creating a drill where Trivelpiece set up on a pitcher’s mound, and McEachern made her fall forward as she swung, forcing her to really focus on her legs.

Maya Goosmann | Digital Design Director

“For the longest time I was told what was wrong with my swing. She told me what was right with my swing and how we’re going to make adjustments,” Trivelpiece said. “She never said anything was bad, and that just clicked with me.”

For a Syracuse team that ranked last in the Atlantic Coast Conference in batting average last season, Trivelpiece’s addition to the coaching staff could be key. SU hit just .217 and only averaged 5.5 hits per game — both of which ranked last in the conference.

But McEachern has helped improve offenses in the past. Trivelpiece credited her successful senior season — where her batting average increased 65 points and her slugging percentage rose from .318 to .418 — to McEachern’s coaching. The success went beyond just Trivelpiece, too. In McEachern’s last season at Fordham, the team batted .306 and had a slugging percentage just under .500.

McEachern kept helping Trivelpiece even after her Fordham career was over, too. After getting accepted into four graduate programs, Trivelpiece wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. McEachern connected her with Doepking, and Trivelpiece helped out the team as a graduate assistant while also studying for a master’s degree in broadcast and digital journalism.

“Without Katie, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Trivelpiece said. “I wouldn’t be the person, broadcaster or softball player I was and am today without Katie.”

Published on February 8, 2022 at 12:30 am

Contact Matthew: mahassan@syr.edu