Heather Korzec begins her third season at the helm of the Nichols College softball program in 2017.
The Bison opened the 2016 season by splitting their 10 games at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic – their best start since 2007 – and returned to the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) playoffs following a one-year hiatus. The squad was led by CCC Second Team pick Kendall Meehan, who Meehan was named to the CCC Second Team and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-New England Region Third Team. Four student-athletes – Kasey Ayer, Christina Barrows, Samantha DiReda, and Courtney Manarky – were named to the CCC Academic All-Conference Team. Nichols picked up home conference wins over Western New England, Eastern Nazarene, and Roger Williams, and also swept Curry.
In her first season in Dudley, Korzec guided a team in which 13 of its 15 student-athletes were freshmen or sophomores. Meehan was named CCC Rookie of the Year while both Barrows and DiReda were named to the Academic All-Conference Team. Nichols also scored just its second-ever win over perennial power Endicott.
Korzec brings more than a decade of coaching experience to Nichols, most recently as the head coach at Monson High School. Last season, Korzec guided the Mustangs to a 20-3 mark and a Bi-County League Championship. Seeded No. 2 in the Western Mass D3 Tournament, Monson advanced to the semifinals.
Korzec began her softball coaching career at Palmer High School, where she was the junior varsity coach from 2002-09. While at Palmer, she prepared players for the varsity level by teaching fundamentals, self-discipline, the ‘team above self’ attitude, and game strategies. In 2010, Korzec began a four-year stint as the assistant varsity coach at Monson, where she worked primarily with the outfielders, catchers, and hitters.
A resident of Monson, Mass., Korzec is a graduate of Keene State who is also an accomplished field hockey coach, having taken Palmer to two Western Mass. Semifinals (2001, 2005) during her 13 years at the helm of the program. She saw 10 of her former students advance to play at the collegiate level. Â
Career Record at Nichols
|
W |
L |
| 2015 |
11 |
18 |
| 2016 |
14 |
21 |
| Totals |
25 |
39 |
