2007 NSA MVP Helping Women’s team at Missouri
By B.J. Soto/Journal sports writer
From the Martinsburg West Virginia Journal:
There will be a little touch of Shepherd in the Women’s College World Series.
Pete D’Amour, a former Shepherd University student, has helped coach the Missouri Tigers softball team to this week’s World Series.
The three-year volunteer assistant coach was a big asset to the team’s success this year as he threw batting practice, was the catching coach, oversaw the managers and called pitches for much of the season.
D’Amour started his college career as a baseball player at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He played under assistant coach Ehren Earlywine, which is how D’Amour’s connection at Missouri began. Earlywine is the head coach at Mizzou.
D’Amour moved on to Shepherd in 2006 and finally finished his career last year at the University of Missouri with a degree in general studies.
But while D’Amour played baseball, it was in fast-pitch softball where he excelled.
The 29-year-old fast-pitch sensation started out at an early age in the sport. He was a bat boy for his father’s (Peter D’Amour, a member of the fast-pitch Hall of Fame) team and has played men’s fast pitch for the past seven years, holding the MVP title of the NSA World Series in 2007.
“I threw underhand before I was able to throw overhand,” D’Amour said. “I couldn’t wait to play. If it weren’t for my dad playing, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Missouri has had great seasons since D’Amour came on board. During his first year, the Mizzou lost in the finals of the 2007 regionals, then lost in the 2008 super regionals and is currently in the World Series. This is the fourth World Series appearance for Missouri, but the first since 1994.
Missouri is the only unseeded team in the eight-team tournament.
“It still hasn’t sunk in yet,” D’Amour said. “I thought we would be here, it’s no surprise to me, but once the first game rolls around, I think it will all hit me.”
D’Amour is content where he is and isn’t looking for anything anytime soon. He has known Earlywine for years and there’s no reason to leave.
“Maybe 10-15 years down the road I’d like to find a head coaching position, but I’m happy where I am,” D’Amour said. “Earlywine gave me a break in the business and my loyalty is to him.”
Missouri will face defending champion Arizona State at 3 p.m. Thursday, a game to be televised by ESPN. The Tigers have to bring their “A” game if they want to go to the end in this tournament.
“If our pitching holds up, we can go pretty far, and if our hitting is as good as it has been, we’ll do well,” D’Amour said. “We have arguably the fastest pitcher in the country (Chelsea Thomas of Pleasantville, Iowa) – no one should hit her if she keeps the ball down.”
-B.J. Soto can be reached at (304) 263-3381, ext. 132, or bsoto@journal-news.net