Athletics

2009-10 Softball
Coaching Staff

Gary VanCauwenberge Head Coach 8th Season
(ph): 440.375.7471 (fax) 440.375.7474 GaryV@lec.edu	Gary VanCauwenberge is in his eighth season as the head coach for the Lake Erie College softball team. He earned Co-Coach of the Year honors in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) in 2004 and his 2006 squad set the program record for wins in a season with 26, while earning the program’s first-ever bid to the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament. In 2008, his team made a return trip to the ECAC Tournament, winning a game and making it to the semifinals. Under his direction, the team  made four conference post-season appearances and posted two of the three best seasons in school history.   Last season, two players were named to the All-Independent Colleges Athletic Association Team and Megan Foley was named to the Daktronics Division II Midwest Region Team. Twenty-three of his players earned All-AMCC honors, including 2007’s record-high of eight honorees. In 2008, he had the privilege of coaching the AMCC Co-Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year – honors never before bestowed on Lake Erie players. A total of 13 of his players  earned AMCC Player of the Week accolades with several earning weekly honors in the ECAC. Additionally, four of his squad members have been selected to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Central Region Team. Prior to his arrival, the team had never won a conference game, no player had ever been selected as a player of the week nor had any Storm player ever earned any recognition on the regional level.   A 2000 graduate from Ohio Wesleyan University, VanCauwenberge earned a health and physical education degree. He played three seasons of volleyball as an outside and middle hitter for the Battling Bishops, serving as captain. VanCauwenberge also played one year as an outfielder for the Ohio Wesleyan baseball team. After graduating from OWU, VanCauwenberge received a Masters of Exercise and Sports Studies and a National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education Level IV certificate from Smith College in 2002.   In addition to his duties as head coach of the Storm softball team, VanCauwenberge serves as the head coach for the Lake Erie volleyball squad and is the academic liaison for the athletic department.   Prior to coming to Lake Erie, VanCauwenberge spent two seasons at Amherst College in Massachusetts as an assistant volleyball coach. While at Amherst, the Jeffs made a second-round appearance in the NCAA Championships and won the New England Small College Athletic Conference title. VanCAUWENBERGE FILE Year / Overall ; AMCC 2003   1-25; (0-12 AMCC) 2004   5-25; (1-11 AMCC) 2005   10-23; (7-11 AMCC) 2006   26-16-1; (14-4 AMCC) 2007   13-16; (11-7 AMCC) 2008   22-20; (15-3 AMCC) 2009   5-34 (Division II Independent)       TOTALS 82-159-1;   (48-48 AMCC)

Jim Baldwin Assistant Coach 6th Season
(fax) 440.375.7474	Jim Baldwin is in his sixth season as an assistant with the Storm softball program. Prior to working at the collegiate level, he spent 10 years coaching at the Junior Olympic level. He has also been an executive director and athletics director of Y.E.S. since 2002, which is the Youth, Education and Sports organization. Baldwin bases his coaching on sportsmanship, leadership, logic and patience. He believes these qualities are the keys to success in almost every area of life. A native of Garrettsville, Ohio, he currently resides in Windham.

Lisa Liotta Assistant Coach 3rd Season
(ph): 440.375.7468 (fax) 440.375.7474 lliotta@lec.edu	Lisa Liotta is in her sthird season with the Lake Erie softball program. A local product, she was a three-year varsity letter winner at Berkshire High School where she served as team captain for two seasons. Splitting time as a catcher and second baseman, she earned Second-Team All-Chagrin Valley Conference and All-News-Herald. She was also a part of the team's 2003 conference championship season. Liotta graduated magna cum laude from Baldwin-Wallace College with a bachelor's degree in sport management and business administration. She was a three-year varsity player for the Yellow Jackets, serving as team captain and earning First-Team Ohio Athletic Conference All-Academic and Academic All-American honors. On the coaching side of her career, she spent one year coaching winter ball at Pinnacle Sports with Medina Highland High School and two years with the Burton Youth League 18-and-Under team who won two regular season and two tournament championships.   Liotta is employed as Lake Erie’s facilities coordinator, while currently pursuing a master’s degree in business administration from the College. She is a lifelong resident of Chardon, Ohio.

Ed Vargo Assistant Coach 1st Season
evargo@lec.edu	Ed Vargo joins the Lake Erie softball staff this season as an assistant coach after a successful 15-year run at Walsh University which included four conference championships and three NAIA regional titles.  Serving as the Cavaliers’ head coach from 1994-2009, Vargo led his team to the NAIA National Championships three times, including a seventh-place finish in 2000.  He helped develop seven NAIA and NFCA All-Americans during his tenure and was named conference coach of the year four times and regional coach of the year in 2000.   Prior to coaching at Walsh, Vargo served as an assistant coach at Malone College and started the softball program at Jackson-Milton high School where he won a pair of league championships.  He also served as an assistant at South Range High School.   Vargo earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Kent State, specializing in computer science.  He went on to earn a master’s degree in education from the University of Akron and served in the United States Navy.  He and his wife, Pat, reside in Akron.