Crimson Wave News

July 2008

Crimson Wave Softball Has a New Skipper

7/30/08 - The Calumet College of St. Joseph athletics department has announced the hiring of Tom Fickett as its new head coach for the Crimson Wave softball program. Fickett, who will assume responsibilities on August 4th, comes to CCSJ from William Jewel College (MO) where he served as an assistant coach this past spring. Fickett believes his time at William Jewell prepared him for his opportunity to become a collegiate head coach and states that “with the similarities in conferences, I feel that the transition should be a natural progression. “

Fickett, a hitting and pitching specialist, will take on an offensive philosophy, using offense to motivate his defense. “I can’t wait to take on all the responsibilities of a head coach. Now I can focus on the big picture and mold an entire team, not just one part.” Excited about the recruiting end of coaching, Fickett wants to continue the building process and bring in some new talent that he hopes will blend well with the strong roster of returning players.
The team will have ten returning players, eight will be seniors, to a squad that set the record for most wins in a season this past spring, one of whom is CCAC honorable mention Aubrey Wiersema . The power and finesse pitching duo of Stephanie Zimny and Ashley Dau will help led the team from the pitching circle while the lively bats of Penny Bensinger , Jessica Chamberlain and Ashley Berumen will continue to bring the “punch” within the middle of the lineup. The defensive reliability of Ashley Lake, Alex Simunic and Brittney Dickerson will be critical to the development of a consistent defensive game plan throughout the upcoming season. Fickett is also very excited to exploit the tremendous speed of Angie Malinowski as a possible lead-off hitter who has the ability to create great scoring chances for the Crimson Wave.

“This is a great opportunity to come in as a head coach and really push the envelope with the talent that is returning along with the new recruits that will be coming into the program this upcoming season” states Fickett. He goes on to say, “This team has a lot of talent I hope that I can get the best out of them to really challenge the top of the conference. I feel we can set some high goals and achieve them with a strong commitment to team.”
Fickett earned a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from Bethany College in Bethany, West Virginia and plans on completing his Master of Arts in Sports Administration this fall from Wayne State University.