FARMINGTON — Amy Jones said her dream job is to be a college softball coach.
That dream has come true, although she certainly didn’t expect it to happen at age 23, a little less than a year after completing her senior season at the University of Maine at Farmington.
Jones has gone from being a first team All-North Atlantic Conference third baseman for UMF to being the Beavers’ interim head coach.
The series of events that led Jones to becoming the head coach began in June when six-year head coach Cyndi Pratt stepped down as part of a reorganization in order to devote more time to her roles as field hockey coach and administrator.
Jim Smith was named to replace her but resigned for personal reasons in January.
Longtime high school softball coach and former Thomas College coach Paul Rodrigue was selected to take over from Smith, but shortly after accepting the job, he had a change of heart.
Jones was a member of the softball coach’s search committee and was encouraged by another member of the committee to apply for the job.
She did and landed it on Feb. 10, which was just 13 days before the start of practice. She made her debut as a head coach on Saturday, splitting a doubleheader with the University of Maine at Presque Isle in the Mahaney Dome at the University of Maine in Orono.
UMF won the opener 6-1 before UMPI posted an 8-3 triumph in the nightcap.
“It obviously hasn’t been an ideal situation for the players or for me,” said the 23-year-old Jones, who captained last year’s team. “I would have preferred to have been an assistant coach first to learn techniques and different ways to handle things. There has definitely been a learning curve. The players see me in a different light. I’ve gone from being their teammate to the head coach. There’s a line we can no longer cross any more.
“But things have gone well. My practices have been a lot different than last year. The girls know I’m putting in the time and that my heart is in it, and they respect that,” Jones added.
Right after learning she had the job, Jones contacted as many coaches as she could and picked their brains.
“The biggest thing I learned from them was to be myself, know my coaching philosophy and stick with it,” she said. “If you believe in yourself, the players will learn to believe in you as well.”
UMF senior first baseman-designated hitter Hannah Lust of Bangor, one of the UMF captains, said it was a little strange at first but that Jones has done an impressive job.
“She has brought some new ideas and she is willing to try different things, which is good,” Lust said.
Lust added that the players respect and trust Jones, and that her leadership and competitive nature as a captain had already earned her high marks. She also said Jones has been willing to listen to suggestions and implement them if she felt it would benefit the team.
“She is doing a great job. She has embraced it and has put her heart and soul into it,” Pratt, Jones’ former coach, said. “She is very positive. She understands the game and has a lot to offer. She was a great player and a great captain.”
Jones, a three-time All-Kennebec Valley Conference softball player at Augusta’s Cony High School, racked up an impressive resume as a player at UMF.
Last year, she became the first player in program history to be a four-time all-conference selection.
She was a two-time all-tourney team choice and set the school record for at-bats (378). She is a career .349 hitter and is second in career starts (116) and runs scored (97). She is third in homers (15) and runs-batted in (78).
She said she tries to make sure to keep softball fun for her players because “they have to feel good to play well” and the sport has always provided her with “real good memories.”
“I’m enjoying it. Every day is a new day,” said Jones, who noted that the administrative aspect of the job caught her off guard.
“It’s crazy,” said Jones, who earned her degree in community health education with a minor in coaching.
She read a book about the University of Alabama’s 2012 NCAA softball championship team and gained some valuable insight.
Jones puts in long days but doesn’t mind.
She lives in Augusta, works at Elliott Office Products Inc. in Farmingdale and then drives an hour to Farmington for practice.
The Beavers will play again on March 30 when they travel to Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts, for a doubleheader.
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