St. Edward tabs Corn to lead softball program
Jaci Corn knows she has some big shoes to fill, but the 2002 Elgin High School graduate is ready for the challenge.
Corn, who has coached the St. Edward sophomore softball team the past three years, was introduced as the Green Wave's new head varsity coach on Tuesday night. The appointment was confirmed by St. Edward athletic director P.J. White earlier in the day.
Corn will take over for Mike Rolando, who led the Wave to a 57-40 record and a berth in the Class 2A Elite Eight in 2008, in his three years at the helm. Rolando, also the Green Wave's head football coach, will remain with the softball program as an assistant coach.
"Part of my objective was to develop Jaci for this job," Rolando said. "She's an awesome instructor. I'm leaving the program in her hands and I hope I've developed her to take on this role."
Corn has played softball since the age of 7 and still plays actively for the Northern Illinois Lightning women's fastpitch team, which she's done for the past seven years. A three-time all-Upstate Eight Conference and all-area performer at Elgin High, her softball playing resume includes playing for the Elgin National Little League, the Elgin Heat and the Fox Valley Renegades prior to the Lightning. She played collegiately at Elgin Community College, where she was all-conference, as well as at Judson University, from which she holds a degree in sport management. She is currently in the Master's program in sport management at Northern Illinois University.
She is also a softball instructor at Fox Valley Sports Academy as well as St. Edward's head girls tennis coach and head freshman girls basketball coach, and an administrative assistant for the Lightning.
"I'm very excited to be taking on this new role," said Corn, who was an IHSA scholastic achievement award winner her junior and senior years in high school. "Coach Ro has done great things for this program and he's left some big shoes to fill. I'm glad he'll still be part of the coaching staff next year. He's taught me a lot about coaching and running a program. He's been my mentor and I hope to be able to carry on the tradition he's started with the program."
The Green Wave is coming off a 20-15 season and return a good nucleus for Corn to work with, including all-area pitcher Sarah Field and all-area catcher Tarah McShane, as well as Rolando's daughter, Veronica.
Rolando, who works for Sears, said trying to devote the time necessary to be the program's head coach was becoming more and more of a challenge.
"I was burning the candle at both ends, leaving work early all the time," he said. "I think everyone is comfortable with this move and Jaci's the perfect person to take the program to the next level. I'll still be around to help her but I'm very comfortable with what we've accomplished in these three years and that Jaci can take that to the next level.
"This is how a program is supposed to be handed off; mold a successor and pass it off for them to take to new heights."
Corn, a 25-year old Elgin native, said that in addition to Rolando, she expects assistant coach Steve McShane to remain on her staff and that her sophomore assistant, Larkin and Valparaiso University graduate Courtney LaFerle, will also move up to the varsity level.