My DD and I had a chance to catch the UAA tourney yesterday.  One of my former TB players is on Emory's squad, so we watched them play Wash U.  Emory looks as good as their record, having broken open a close 3-0 game with a line drive HR to go up 6-0.  The game ended on a 2-run walkoff HR, for a 6 inning run rule.

Honestly, Wash U got a few bad calls, and a bum deal on a fielder obstruction call.  Those things all led to Emory's 3-0 lead.  Without that, who knows.

All in all, Wash U looked realy good too.  We also watched them play Rochester, which was another good game.  Wash U hung on to pull it out (3-2 going into the 7th, then added a few runs to put it away).

Also saw Brandeis (looked good against Case), Rochester, and Case play.

It was a great day watching some very good softball.

Found this online (Nashua Telegraph):

t began as a family vacation in July in Hawaii. It ended with now former Rivier College head women's basketball and softball coach Kelly O'Connell having to choose between two families.

"That's exactly what it feels like," O'Connell said. "It was the toughest decision I've ever had to make."

Yes, former Rivier coach. O'Connell, one of the most successful coaches – not to mention driven – coaches the school has ever seen had to walk away from the job she loved a few weeks ago.

It wasn't easy. She had to choose her own biological family over her Rivier family.

The reason: O'Connell's 75-year-old father David, who lives in her hometown of Chicopee, Mass., is ailing, and her five other siblings are in other parts of the country. When David O'Connell took a turn for the worse, discussion in Hawaii centered on his college coach daughter being the closest to provide the apparent constant care he needs.

In other words, the 38-year old O'Connell is sacrificing, at least for now, a brilliant career for her father's well-being.

Since arriving at Rivier five years ago after stints as an assistant at Elms College in Chicopee and a year as a head coach at Becker College, she has taken the Raiders softball program to new heights – two Great Northeast Athletic Conference titles and Division III NCAA tournament appearances that go with it, including this past spring's 33-6 campaign that included a regional and national ranking.

Her hoop teams didn't reach quite those lofty heights but made the GNAC tourney the last four years straight, something that had never happened.

"It's unfortunate," she said. "I love Rivier, I love Joanne (athletic director Merrill), I love my players."

When these ears first heard the news, the assumption was O'Connell left for a job at a higher level, given her success, as the woman was born to coach. But no. In fact, she says she never even so much as looked at or applied for another job while at Riv.

"I would have stayed at Riv until I retired," she said. "It's so hard to build a program, I wouldn't want to just leave it in someone else's hands."

There is a twist to all this. When O'Connell met with Merrill and assistant AD Craig Kolek in early August, she was so upset about the whole thing she never told them about her father. "I just told them I was burned out, stressed out, and needed a change," she said.

Would it have made a difference if she had? It would be tough, Merrill said. O'Connell recently e-mailed both and told them exactly why she was leaving, which definitely helped Merrill come to grips more with the news that caught her completely off guard.

In an ideal world, O'Connell could take an indefinite leave of absence and, perhaps, an interim replacement could be found. But Rivier's athletic programs have progressed so much in the last decade they are well beyond needing just a caretaker. The recruiting wars are simply too intense, and the competition for athletes is as much a process of selling the coach as it is selling the school.

"I totally understand her situation," Merrill said while weeding through resumes on Monday, "and the pressure she has been under. But the reality is, we can't have a stoppage in time ... Our goal is to get the best coach we possibly can."

But the timing is terrible. Merrill has to find a basketball replacement in time for mid-October, when practice begins. The position was a two-sport, full-time slot, but it's possible she may have to split them up into two-part time spots. In that case, it is possible she could make them interim and wait and see what O'Connell's situation is down the road, she said.

"Yeah, I think so," Merrill said. "She's so tough to replace. I wish we werent't doing it ... inding somebody for both positions is going to be very challenging."

It's already had an impact as student-athletes began reporting this week, with school starting just after Labor Day. Last year's freshman shortstop, ECAC Rookie of the Year Taylor Cournoyer, has transferred out.

O'Connell, when calling recruits, was asked by the mother of her top basketball recruit "Where are you going? We'll follow you there."

She quickly told the woman that the benefits of the school and the program was far more than just the coach and she should keep her plans intact.

We'll see; in the world of small college Division III, you never know until they show up at the door.

But one thing is for sure, O'Connell won't be there to greet them. One family took, as it should, precedence over the other.

We talk here about wins, losses and recruiting, but the health of O'Connell's father is the most important issue.

"I'm really sad," Kelly O'Connell said. "I have no idea when I'm going to go back into coaching."

An incredible sacrifice worth noting.

Are there enough D-3 SB fans here to develop conference summaries, previews for next season, updates as the season progresses, etc?

Or, is there another D3 SB site that follows it closely?

Thanks