New softball coach Patel hopes to build program

Lasell softball coach Vani Patel has been at the helm of the softball team since November, but as the spring semester rolled around the real work of coaching has begun.

Originally from southern California, Patel transitioned to the northeast to first receive her undergraduate degree in business administration and management from Manhattan University and her graduate degree in sports management from Springfield College, the institution Patel coached for as a graduate assistant before transitioning to Lasell.

Patel was first made aware of the head coaching position at Lasell while living in Colorado finishing up her master’s degree.

“I recognized Lasell University because last year, when Springfield was down in Florida, we had played Lasell,” Patel said. “So I was already familiar with the team, the program. I knew it was a school in New England, I think, for me was the potential for growth at the institution and seeing where the program is and where I know I can take the program in five to ten years.” Patel credits her aligned vision with Vice President of Athletics Jamie Marcoux as a driving factor in accepting the position.

“I think when we were just talking about both of our overall visions for not just the softball team, but for the athletics department, very much aligned with what I was looking for, for what she’s trying to build, and just where we’re trying to take it, this is a good opportunity for me to grow and really help the athletics department as a whole, and continue to learn,” Patel said. Patel has always admired smaller institutions and she says that Lasell fits the mold of what she was looking for.

“Everyone just talked about the people here, the community, style of life, and how even the athletic departments work really closely together,” Patel said. “We all talk to each other. We reach out and help each other, and I think I felt very supported by the other head coaches, and even the assistant coaches.” The team traveled to Florida to play games for spring break and Patel received her first career win as a head coach. She felt the support from the entire athletics department and staff, saying “We had a little bit of a rough start, All the coaches are emailing me, texting me, and some of them said ‘Hey it’s not how you start, it is how you finish, we’re supporting you.’ I don’t know if other institutions really have that same type of camaraderie throughout the athletic coaching staff. It’s really easy to be selfish and focus on your team, but because the head coaches all have different responsibilities, we do get to work together so much more, the support is there for me.”

Patel credits her assistant coaches Brianna Gendreau, who played on the team for 6 years, and Hannah DelCervo who has coached on the team for the same amount of time, for stepping up as coaches and helping during the tri, as both understood the process already in place while traveling to Florida. In addition to that, Patel says that more administrative work was a bigger change as head coach. “The game stays the same. I’m very confident in knowing what to do in the game situations, but more like the back end in previous years, I wasn’t responsible for getting the books and the stats, and then this year, you know, I realized, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m the home team,’ so it was just more of like that back end stuff of just kind of figuring out what those additional responsibilities were,” Patel said.

Because of the Division 3 (DIII) restrictions, the team couldn’t start practicing until the end of January. “I’ve basically been with the team for like two months. And so I’m implementing everything new, the girls are adjusting to my coaching style, and just like building up the program culture has been, I think, the most challenging but definitely still the most fun,” Patel said.

Patel says that the personalities of her student athletes are great to be around and fulfill her experience as a head coach.

“I love showing up every day because all of my young women really show up like they want to be there,” Patel said. "Every student-athlete has their struggles with staying motivated and staying locked in and everything, so I really try to create an environment where the girls want to show up, because at DIII, it’s your choice. And I tell them, ‘If you guys don’t want to be here, you don’t have to be here.’ I want to be here. I want you to want to be here.”

Patel continued, “I go into practice every day, and I know that the girls are going to say something that’s going to make me smile or laugh, and I think they just do such a great job of staying together, and honestly they make my job so enjoyable.” Despite a not-ideal start in Florida, Patel thinks the team and her are on the same page of what adjustments need to be made.

“I’m very confident that we’re gonna be okay the rest of the season, but starting off one to nine is never how anyone wants to start, and so from here, I’m expecting that we are going to come back and recover and be strong for the rest of the season and compete at the end of the year to be in the tournament,” Patel said. Patel’s goal for the team in years to come is to consistently compete in the GNAC and bring home championships, but also take some time to build the program. She hopes within three to five years, Lasell softball will become a consistent championship team.