Coach Herbert’s swan song

At the end of the 2024 season for the Waynesburg University softball team, Volunteer Assistant Coach Bill Herbert will be stepping away from his position.

“It has meant so much coaching here at Waynesburg, especially the relationships built over the years with players and coaches. I keep in touch with many former players via social media and to just see the success of former players makes me really happy,” Herbert said on what coaching at Waynesburg has meant to him.

Head Coach Brett Shimek had this to say on Herbert’s time at Waynesburg: “Coach Herbert has been an assistant coach at Waynesburg University since 2011 and he’s helped bridge the gaps between coaching staffs. He kept the players together in the interim season where they didn’t have a coach and he made our transition into the program seamless. He was a key to our transformation and success as a coaching staff and helped us build the program.”

Shimek continued about what Herbert has meant to this team, “From day one, I could see Coach Herbert’s passion for softball and his want to win but as great as those characteristics are, they have always been secondary to the care he shows for our players.”Shimek said.

Herbert has been through the highs and lows of Yellow Jacket softball from losing seasons to winning conference championships. Through all of this, Herbert said, “I have learned through the highs and lows to be consistent whether winning or losing. A coach’s job at this level is more about bringing out the best in players rather than teaching the skills. I have always believed that a positive approach is the best way to get the best out of an athlete, if a player makes an error or strikes out I will tell them forget about it and move on or explain why they made the error in the dugout there’s no point in me or another coach yelling and pointing out the mistake on the field.”

 When speaking on  his favorite memory as a coach for Waynesburg University, Herbert said, “My favorite memory goes back to my first year, we had this emotional awkward freshman who was a really good fielder but just couldn’t hit the ball very well and I would work with her extra in the batting cage and pushed her to get better and she ended up being one of the best hitters on the team and first-team all-conference.” 

Herbert has been a part of the softball coaching staff for 13 years and not only is he looking to make this a good final season, but so is the rest of the team. “We want to make his last season, one to remember and have fun along the way. He’s been great to work with and we’ll miss his leadership, passion, and our time together.” Shimek said.