On Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019, Upper Moreland seniors Bean Hughes and Jocelyn Baumeister were recognized for committing to continue their softball careers at the collegiate level. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery at the following link: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/p569661535
Jocelyn Baumeister – Gwynedd Mercy University (Softball)
Major: Nursing
Final list of colleges: Gwynedd Mercy, Immaculata, West Chester
Reasons for choosing Gwynedd Mercy: “Since my major is nursing, I thought it would be much easier keeping the sport I love while still studying hard for my career.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in softball at the collegiate level? “I played softball at a very young age, and I fell in love with the sport. I loved all the girls. I made long friendships from it, and it was something I was good at so I wanted to keep going with it.”
Coach Scott Ludlow says: “She was going in as my number one and realistically our only pitcher this year. I planned on her being the workhorse in terms of making the starts. Up until three years ago when Jocelyn was a freshman, my life was kind of – one pitcher and figure out what to do when you need to give that pitcher rest, and that’s the way I had been for 20 years. I had the luxury of having two pitchers for the past three years. Now I’m back to having one and certainly was thrilled that it was Jocelyn. She’s a solid kid, she works hard, and she’s a quality pitcher. Obviously, I’d been splitting time, and she played some first base and did a tremendous job last year, but certainly she was going to be the cornerstone of what we were trying to do this year.
“Jocelyn was a first team all-league first baseman last year. She was an outstanding two hitter. I was kind of without a leadoff hitter the first half or two thirds of the year, so she actually led off for me. She stepped right in and did a great job with that role. She’s got some pop in her bat. She was really solid as our leadoff hitter and then number two at the end of the season. She hit second in the lineup as a sophomore too. She’s a strong bat and was one of the keys to the top of our lineup which is where we got a lot of our success last year.”
About Jocelyn:
Favorite food: Steak
Favorite movie: Wedding Crashers
Favorite artist: DaBaby
Bean Hughes – Kutztown University (Softball)
Major: Criminal Justice
Final list of colleges: Kutztown, West Chester, Mansfield
Reasons for choosing Kutztown: “Kutztown was the perfect fit between athletics and academics for me. The coach and the girls were amazing on my overnight, and that’s pretty much what stood out the most – the girls were just so welcoming the whole time I was there.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in softball at the collegiate level? “I was always going to play softball in college. The Kutztown coach saw me at Carpenter Cup this year. I didn’t really ever think about Kutztown before Carpenter Cup, but she talked to me there, and I was like, ‘I’ll look into it.’ I did my overnight, and Kutztown it was.”
Coach Scott Ludlow says: “She is just a tremendous kid to coach. She’s coachable, she’s always working to get an edge, she’s an outstanding hitter, and she’s without a doubt one of the top two or three kids I’ve coached in 22 years of doing this. It’s hard to speak her praises enough. She’s enjoyable to coach, she does whatever you ask her to do. I refer to her as Mike Schmidt because she makes it look so easy. She’s always working hard, and you know she’s working hard, but it just comes so naturally to her. I’ve had the luxury of coaching her in basketball when she was younger. Her athleticism is really what sets her apart.
“She could do pretty much anything. There were instances where I actually gave her a bunt signal. I think she laid down three bunts last year and proceeded to leg them out for singles and then stole second base. She’ll do anything you ask her to do. Everything is hit hard. She hit seven or eight home runs in the 20 games we played. She’s definitely one of those kids that you have one every six or seven years. On top of her athleticism and skill, she’s just so smart when it came to playing the game and just thinks the game so well. Between her competitive nature, her athleticism and just her head for the game – she’s fun to watch, she’s fun to coach. It’s really been a pleasure for me.”
About Bean:
Favorite food: Cesar Salad
Favorite TV show: Grey’s Anatomy
Favorite artist: Cardi B
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