Softball head coach Kris Herman has left the Tufts program she nurtured for 16 years. The NESCAC coach of the year for the last three seasons will take over the helm as head coach for league rival Williams College.
"It was a life change," new head coach Cheryl Milligan said in reference to Herman's decision. "It was a big city lifestyle versus the country for her."
Herman had a long history with the Tufts softball program. She played for the first Jumbo varsity team in 1985 and graduated from Tufts in 1986. She earned a degree in political science and then a master's in teaching, also from Tufts, in 1989.
Immediately after graduation in 1986, Herman was appointed assistant to then-head softball coach Dave Caputi. She would move up the ranks to the top coaching position just one year later in 1987 when Caputi left to coach at Williams.
Herman built her program with active recruiting and helped Tufts establish itself as a top NESCAC team. Over her 16 years, the Jumbos were 339-154-3 with a .684 winning percentage.
The team has qualified for seven straight NCAA tournaments (1997-2003) and has won three straight NESCAC titles. In 2000, the Jumbos made it to the Division III NCAA World Series.
The 2003 season was yet another success for Herman's team. The Jumbos finished ranked 25th in the final National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll. In the NESCAC, Tufts players finished in each of the top three positions in hits, runs, RBI, homeruns, and total bases. The squad's 27 homeruns led the league and the Jumbos won their third straight NESCAC championship.
Cheryl Milligan will take over for Herman on an interim basis.
Milligan has been an assistant coach since 1998 and played shortstop for the Jumbos from 1992-1995. She came to Tufts from Lansdale, Pennsylvania in 1991 for academics as well as softball. After earning her undergraduate degree in biology and environmental science, Milligan went on to a master's in education and is currently working on her PhD at the Tufts School of Nutrition.
While playing for Tufts, Milligan was fourth all-time in batting average (.377), and was second in career runs scored with 119. Her team won the ECAC North Championship during her senior season with a record 31 wins.
As the fourth coach of the Tufts softball program, Milligan will bring experience and prior knowledge of the team. She worked with All American and 2003 NESCAC player of the year, graduate Lis Drake, as the hitting and outfield coach for the past four seasons. She also helped Herman with recruiting duties.
"Tufts has been where most of my coaching experience has come from," Milligan said. "It is a very successful program because our players are extremely accepting of coaching."
Milligan will have senior tri-captains Julie Fox, Deana Davidian and Maggie McClory to help with her transition from assistant to head coach.
"These three captains are part of what made me decide to stay here, it wasn't the job or the money, but the players," Milligan said.
With Drake and Nikki Blotner being the only graduates leaving the team, the 2004 Jumbos will look very similar to those of 2003. This will make Milligan's transition all the easier as she and most of the players will already be well acquainted.
"We are a successful program and most of our traditions will be the same," senior tri-captain Deana Davidian said. "There will be some changes, but we basically have the same team back again. [Milligan] will put her own little twist on the program."
As for the already poignant rivalry between league foes Tufts and Williams, Herman's defection will add an extra spark when the teams meet.
"I'm confident it will make us a little more focused and anxious to play Williams," Davidian said. "It will be a strengthened rivalry between our two teams."
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