WAVERLY — Legendary Villanova head softball coach Bridget Orchard and 2023 Big East Player of the year Tess Cites will be coming to the Valley later this summer to host a “Train With Champions” Softball Clinic, presented by the Waverly Sports Complex.
Orchard, who has more than 800 wins at the Division I level, and Cites, who is a Horseheads native, will be at East Waverly Park on Wednesday, Aug. 2 for the clinic.
The morning session, which is for ages 8 to 12, will be held from 9 to 11 a.m., while the afternoon session — for ages 13-18 — will be from noon to 2 p.m. The cost per player if $50.
Other coaches will include Villanova assistant coach Chelsea Plimpton, Villanova pitching coach Gabby Luety, former Corning Community College and Clarkson University standout Samantha (Mennig) Jilson and former SUNY Oswego standout Zoe Menning.
Orchard, who is originally from Binghamton, has a career record of 865-495-3 in 26 years. She has a record of 112-76 in four seasons at Villanova, which is her alma mater.
The legendary coach led Villanova to its first-ever Big East championship and a berth in the NCAA Regionals for the first time in 2021. The Wildcats earned a win over UMBC to punch their ticket to the Division I national tournament for the first time in the program’s 45-year history.
Prior to returning to Villanova, Orchard coached at Division I Forham for 17 years.
When she graduated from Villanova in 1997, Orchard held the all-time record for hits with 216 and runs with 110. She earned first-team All-Big East honors in 1995 and led Villanova to an ECAC championship that year.
She was a career .334 hitter for the Wildcats, while also stealing 35 bases and playing in 205 consecutive games — which is still the second longest streak in school history.
Cites, who will be a senior next year, was picked as the Big East Player of the Year after batting .378 with a league-best 74 hits, including 15 doubles, seven home runs, one triple, 45 runs scored, 45 RBI and 10 steals.
If interested in signing up for the camp, or if you would like more information, email highheatwest@yahoo.com, or message the Waverly Sports Complex Facebook page.
In addition to the camp, Orchard will be part of a Coaching Seminar and Dinner held at Tomasso’s on the evening of Aug. 2. The coaching clinic will run from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. with the dinner to follow. Cost is $50 per ticket and each ticket will be eligible for a drawing with a cash prize.
Here’s our interview with Coach Bridget Orchard.
