When Keene State alum and former softball player Haley Chandler stepped off the field in 2013, she did not anticipate stepping back on it 11 years later, this time as the new head coach.
“I’m really excited to just be a part of this program again and put my mark on Keene State in a different way,” said Chandler.
During Chandler’s time as an Owl, she achieved records such as having 214 hits, 569 at-bats, 165 runs scored and 806 putouts, according to a press release by KSC Athletics.
“At the time I was like, ‘I’m just having a great time playing softball, this is so much fun, I’m playing with all my best friends and my twin sister, this is really rad,’” Chandler said. “I didn’t really care for stats as a player, I just went out there and lifted hard in the gym and worked hard on the field.”
Since graduating, Chandler has been involved with coaching at Salem High School in New Hampshire where she had been head coach since 2019 and also played in a league for older women in her area.
Chandler said her relationship with her teammates while playing for KSC and her prior coaching experiences inspires her to foster a supportive environment among the current members of the team while coaching them.
“It is important to know who’s on your team and how they treat each other, their word choices and their body language and everything like that,” Chandler said. “I’m really excited to work with players at different positions and make them feel confident … I’m excited to do the part of building relationships that I love but also giving them confidence through their physical game as well.”
Senior Molly Murray, who served as captain during the 2024 season, said she was excited to work with Chandler heading into this upcoming season.
“She had a really good, bubbly personality and … really held to our program and what we were looking for in a new coach and we were super excited with her energy and what she can bring to the team,” Murray said.
Murray along with the other captains of the spring 2024 season were a part of the interview process for the head coach position. According to Murray, Chandler checked a lot of the boxes needed for the position in terms of supporting the athletes.
“We have such a fun and bubbly scene and wanted someone that could fit in with that but also be able to be like it’s time to focus and can hold us accountable for the tough days and not just let us do whatever we want and get away with things and she definitely fits that,” Murray said.
Chandler said being an alum of the team, she understands the struggle student-athletes face when balancing academics and athletics and wants to help her athletes work hard on the field.
“You’re all over the place and you got to have good time management and if that’s something that you struggle with I’ll try my best to help you, I’ll give you the tools but like you got to do it,” Chandler said. “It’s not for the weak, you got to have habits and you got to follow through.”
Overall, Chandler feels grateful to be back at Keene State and is ready to take on the responsibilities.
“I’m just really excited to be a part of this program again and I think that Keene State does a really good job of making it feel like you’re always welcome back here,” Chandler said. “I think that’s part of the reason why I did come back is that I’ve always felt welcome here, even after I left.”
Nicole Dumont can be contacted at
ndumont@kscequinox.com
