Cromwell warms up with her team during the team’s fall ball practice. (Photo courtesy of Marcie Hanish)

Varsity softball coach Casey Cromwell has been prepping for her role as a coach for her entire softball career. “I knew I wanted to coach forever, so as a player, I ended up falling into leadership roles…I just ended up coaching a little bit and loved giving lessons. The biggest part of that is I’m just a people person, and seeing the light bulb go off for student-athletes is contagious for me and I wanted more of it,” she said. 

Cromwell joined the WashU softball program as the head coach this year after the departure of Michelle Venturella. She previously coached at neighboring Fontbonne University for five years. During her time with the Griffins, Cromwell led Fontbonne to the 2022 SLIAC title and the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2015. Additionally, in 2022, the Griffins led all of Division III in double plays with .61 per game. Her role at Fontbonne was her first time as a collegiate head coach. “Fontbonne was very special and will be a very special place for giving me that trust and letting me spread my wings,” she said.

As someone who grew up with family living in St. Louis, Cromwell was always interested in WashU and its culture. “The excellence on and off the field was something I truly wanted to be a part of,” Cromwell said.

Cromwell’s love for softball was cultivated from an early age. Her father played semi professional baseball and the family had a baseball field in their yard.  Sports were included in the family dynamic from the beginning. She started with baseball but then quickly got involved in softball.  

Cromwell began her collegiate playing career at Weatherford College, a junior college in Texas, where she played third base and was an all-conference and all-region selection with a .378 average, 13 doubles, 13 home runs, and 45 RBI. She played her remaining three years at Lamar University in Texas. “When I got to college, I just wanted to make the team better in whatever way, so I started playing second base and third base.”

Even as a player, Cromwell knew she wanted to be a coach. “I’m a people person,” she said. “I love seeing the small wins and the ‘aha’ moments`…Ever since I was a kid and my mom coached me in soccer, I remember learning how to speak to people to get the results I wanted. And I started seeing success with that and then [others] started seeing success based on that too. I live off of that success.”

These ‘aha’ moments happen when something clicks for the student-athlete and they have a moment of sudden understanding. Cromwell emphasized that  ‘aha’ moments are not just related to physical skills, but occur in all types of ways on the team. “I love the leadership ‘aha’ moments; how to speak to one another or how to teach your teammates about team culture. Seeing those has been really cool as of late. Seeing the enjoyment and relief in those moments is a big thing.”

Coming into an already successful program is not easy for a head coach. The team posted two wins in the postseason before a heartbreaking last game eliminated them from the NCAA tournament. Fueled by their loss in the postseason, the team looks to go even further this year. As not to disrupt this winning culture, Cromwell made sure to get to know her athletes as her first step in being the head coach. “I wanted to make sure our student-athletes felt seen, heard, and understood.”

Senior softball player Alex Rubin discussed the enthusiasm Cromwell injects into the team. “Between her enthusiasm for getting to know us as players and people, and her passion for the game of softball, it is clear that she is more than ready to confidently lead this team into the spring season,” Rubin said.

Cromwell talks staregy in the dugout alongside the team. (Photo courtesy of Marcie Hanish)

The coach is committed to building off of the existing team culture that she has already enjoyed so much. “I had high expectations coming here and WashU and the softball program has blown those out of the water. Almost every day, there is a conversation that is just more than I ever expected,” Cromwell said.

Junior Emily Talkow emphasized the mindfulness Cromwell brings. “Her love of the sport and emphasis on a family-like culture is palpable, pushing each of us to be better every day. Every Monday she encourages us to write goals for the week, where we evaluate them the following week to see what we have achieved. This intentional goal setting allows us to slow down and both see how far we’ve come and where we want to go,”  Talkow said. 

Cromwell believes that open dialogue can continue to bond the program together. “Team culture is built within the program. We’re going to sit down and we’re going to talk about where our culture is and where we want it to go. We’re going to talk about the values and characteristics that got us to WashU and WashU Softball. We all have to be on board together. We want the team to be a family.”