It’s been 28 years since Mary Karen Wheat was a young, standout pitcher for the Brockport Blue Devils softball team. The road since has taken her to Binghamton University as a player, the University of Rochester, RIT, and Bryant University, among other places.
But the chance to return home was too good to pass up, and she was named SUNY Brockport’s first full-time softball head coach this summer.
“The journey home has been amazing. My mother and father built a beautiful community for my siblings and I; it just feels right to be here. Being home and sharing this huge career achievement with people who have supported me my whole life is indescribable.
“Few people can accept a job that allows you to stand on the field that is your new home while staring at the field that made you who you are. I am endlessly proud of being a Blue Devil and the tradition of success I was able to carry on with my teammates during my tenure on the softball team. It is a dream of mine to be able to take this incredible opportunity I was granted and now give back to the community and the sport that is the cornerstone of who I am.”
Wheat takes over following the retirement of 25-year head coach John Dumaw without the benefit of recruiting her own players this first year.
“John Dumaw is a legend in the softball community. I am honored to be granted the opportunity to continue to grow the program he has shaped for the last 25 years. Two key pieces to my leadership style are communication and transparency. I shared these values with the student-athletes during the interview process as well as during our team meeting. They have also been open with their communication regarding their goals for the program and what they need and want in their next coach. Our (mine and the athletes’) visions have lined up beautifully to this point, and if we all keep communicating and sharing the same goals, the transition will be smooth, and we can keep focusing forward to the spring and beyond.
“While these student-athletes may not be my recruits, I feel in the short time we have been together, we are connecting and building a vision together. We are focusing on the day-to-day and building our vision for the 2024 season brick by brick. If we stay the course – focusing on the details, upholding our team core values, and staying committed to each other – we can accomplish something special this spring. To me, something special is making our last conference championship as a member of the SUNYACs before we leave for the Empire 8 next year.”
The Golden Eagles softball program has struggled of late, with just five wins last season and their last full campaign with a record over .500 coming in 2015.
The new era begins right away for Wheat and her staff.
“Missing out on summer recruiting is obviously not ideal; I believe that I will be able to find the right group of future Golden Eagles to help us chase our program goals. Fall recruiting is going to be a little of a mad dash and a mix of a lot of approaches to find 2024 graduates. I have already been out and worked at a joint prospect camp at Nazareth University. I am going to be hitting the road throughout the Northeast starting in October through November. Using social media is going to be a huge piece to the process as well. I am also hoping to host a prospect camp in late fall.
“In the short term, we are just going to focus on building our softball skills, knowledge, and execution of the game. We will be focusing on one game at a time with an overarching goal of making the final six for our conference championships. In the long term, I want to build a powerhouse program. I believe in the university and its academic programs. The type of athletes this combination can attract will be the basis for building a strong and dominant program. Our athletic department is forward thinking and continues to demonstrate their desire to grow our programs; recently, we added a full-time strength and conditioning coach, which is paramount to all of our program’s successes.”
Wheat spent 2015 and 2016 back at Brockport High School as head coach, was earlier the head coach at Red Jacket, and has had international experience the last two years working with the Great Britain 18U softball program. She was also named NFCA Division III Assistant Coach of the Year in 2020 for her work in helping the University of Rochester reach the NCAA Finals for the second time in school history.
But this is Wheat’s first head coaching opportunity at the collegiate level.
“The greatest success in my career is the relationships and connections I have made with other coaches. These colleagues are my greatest cheerleaders, supporters, and advice-givers. As a new head coach, I have already leaned heavily into them and do not ever see this changing. We need our people to help lift us up and push us forward. Additionally, through all the ups and downs of coaching, I feel I have been able to truly establish who I am as a leader. I have a strong belief in who I want to be for my players and how I want to run the program. This depth of knowledge gives me a sense of confidence and calmness as I take on this next chapter of my career.”
