Q&A with Eileen Schmidt

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Virginia softball coach Eileen Schmidt recently finished her first season at the helm of her alma mater and already is working toward year two. VirigniaSports.com caught up with Schmidt to discuss the new construction plans for The Park, what she looks for in an athlete and the challenges of building a program.

Question: What have you been up to this summer?
Schmidt: Field construction. The first phase of the field reconstruction is going on, so it’s completely gutted right now. The new dugouts have been sunken. We are going to have a new playing service, new batting cages, new fencing and a new scoreboard out at The Park. Our locker room at UHall is also being renovated. It’s exciting that the process has gotten started and it has been fun watching it grow.

The second thing I’ve been doing is recruiting. I have been working my way around looking at some young players.

Camp is coming up. Turnout is great, even for not having a field! We had day camp a few weeks ago with over 60 kids and it turned out great. Now we have elite camp going on.

Question: And you have been looking to fill some spots on your staff?
Schmidt: Yeah. Brooke (Monroe) and Amanda (Freed) were awesome and they both did a great job while they were here. They had great opportunities to further their coaching careers and playing careers and I wish them both the best of luck.

Question: What kind of player are you looking for when you are out recruiting?
Schmidt: We really look for athletic kids that are multi-dimensional. Kids who can play different positions. From an athletic standpoint, we need kids that can run and change direction. Gritty kids who can make things happen even when they are not swinging so well. Blue-collar kids who can make the routine plays. Tough kids who play hard.

A kid who goes to this school needs to be balanced in all areas of her life, not just academically and not just athletically. This school is obviously different from others and sometimes you don’t realize that from the outside. Kids have to be well-balanced and make good choices. It’s the four-year experience at the University of Virginia and that means it’s not just academics or athletics. It’s being active in the community and active within the University. There are a lot of things going on here.

Question: What is the most challenging part about building a program?
Schmidt: The hardest part of building a program is that you want to do it right away, and it doesn’t always happen. It could take one year or it could take five years. It’s just a matter of doing things right and moving ahead.

It’s a process. I want something that lasts and so do the athletes. For a program at UVa, you want to match what everybody here has done: rowing, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s lacrosse, tennis, golf. You want to be great year-in and year-out, not just a one-year or two-year thing. If you are going to do it that way, you have to get all the right people on board and get it going in the right direction. It takes time to do that. While I don’t like to be patient, and neither does anybody else, it’s important to remember that it’s not an overnight thing. We just have to keep working.

Question: What is the best part about building a program?
Schmidt: From a player’s prospective, the hard part is to say, Are we really getting where we need to be?’ And I think they know we are. Being a part of building a program is pretty special. You can come in as a first year and not see the fruits of your labor until you have already graduated. But you can look back and be proud that you helped turn the program.

From a coaching standpoint, it’s pretty easy for me because I went to school here. I want to see it the way it was and make it better. You have a lot of people in your life that you owe, but I also owe the University of Virginia for giving me the opportunity to go to school here.

Question: What is your favorite spot on Grounds?
Schmidt: As a student, I would say my favorite spot on Grounds was Alderman Library. I spent a lot of time there. I think as a coach my favorite spot will be the softball field when we finish it. And the Lawn is a place where everybody loves to go. The construction they are doing on the new South Lawn project is going to be awesome.