Mickey Dean: Thank you from JMU softball

I wanted to take an opportunity to extend my thanks to the James Madison community for all their support during this past softball season. The encouragement of the fans and the hard work of the supporting staff played no small role in our success throughout the year.

I’d first like to thank the administration for giving us everything we need to compete with some of the best teams in the country. From President Alger to our Director of Athletics, Mr. Bourne as well as Vice President Mr. Charlie King, we’ve known that the people at the top have been behind us all the way. I’d also like to take Mr. Kevin White who has overseen the program the last few years and has gone to bat for us when we need him.

This team would not have achieved success without the tireless work of my assistant coaches, Jennifer Herzig, Lauren LaPorte and Jenna Cohen. They put in countless hours with the players and handle so many of the day-to-day operations for me, allowing me to focus on coaching the team. Thank you for all your hard work.

The support staff we get to work with every day at JMU is second to none. Thank you to Ana Saliaris as our athletic trainer, Christian Carter as our strength coach and Jennifer Burkhart in academic services for keeping the players healthy, strong and on top of their studies. I’d also like to thank all the people in the marketing department and athletic communications, including Brian Hansen our SID, for all your work in promoting our program. Our administrative assistant Diana Sharpe handles so much for us throughout the season. I am grateful for all you do to keep things running smoothly.

A group I need to be sure not to overlook is the facilities and grounds crew at Veterans Memorial Park. From the cold and snowy days of March to the hot and humid days at the CAA Championship, they worked through it all to assure the field was always ready to play. Thank you to Larry “Chumley” Huntley and crew for all your hard work.

Finally, thank you to all the fans that came out to cheer us on. We had great crowds all year along, including at the NCAA Regional in Kentucky. We always had a friendly crowd to play in front of and great support from those that came to watch us play.

Mickey Dean
JMU Softball Head Coach