McConnell and Core Take Over Caper Softball, Baseball Programs

Lower Cape May Regional High School has new leadership for its baseball and softball programs, respectively. Kelly McConnell takes over the softball team while Nicholas Core is the new baseball coach.
McConnell takes over after serving as an assistant for four years under former head coach Billy Mulligan. Now in her fifth year as a woodworking teacher at the school, the Springfield, Pa. native plans to emphasize a team approach.
“Coaching, for me, isn’t just about winning, it’s about giving the young women I coach something to look forward to, and something they can be a part of,” said the North Cape May resident. “I may help them improve their game, but I’m also instilling in them respect for others and making them more confident in what they can do.”
A softball and track competitor in high school, McConnell majored in technology education at Millersville University where she also competed in club softball. McConnell, who will be assisted by Joan Dilling and Courtney Gingrich, said her biggest challenge as the head coach is to make the tough decisions. “I have to decide who plays where,” she said. “Everyone should get her time to shine. I just have to figure out when that time will be.”
McConnell, who spends much of her spare time with her puppy, has played softball since age five. “I have a good understanding of the game, but as a new coach I have to figure out drills and strategies that will most improve the players’ performances,” she said. “But it’s also important to keep it fun. Sports are about competition, but it also has to be fun. My goal for this season is to just keep the girls playing hard and encouraging them to do their best.”
The new coach said she hopes to see each of the girls’ progress as the season moves along. “Seeing how much the girls are improving from the beginning of the season to the last game and knowing that maybe I helped a little with that is important to me,” she noted. “That is especially true with the girls that have never picked up a softball before. I want them to have something to take with them forever.”
As for a coaching philosophy, McConnell wants to make each day “something new” for her team. She wants to keep the drills and practices “new and exciting” to not only keep the players sharp “but to also allow them to have a little fun.”
Lower has eight seniors on the roster. “They already know me and what I stand for, but I did go over a few ground rules for playing on my team,” she said. “I don’t tolerate unsportsmanlike conduct. I told the girls they need to be in it 100 percent for the sake of the team and the team’s spirit.”
The Caper-Tigers will be led by centerfielder Carissa Scott, a .564 hitter last season, and leftfielder Ariel Magee who swung the bat at a .466 clip in 2014. Scott and Magee are the team’s only four-year varsity players. They’ll be supported by shortstop Melissa Brown, a sophomore who batted .314 a season ago.
“We have talented players and although there are eight seniors, we will rely on some gifted underclassmen,” said McConnell. “The team members that are new to the sport are extremely eager and ready to learn. Confidence is a mind game and once they conquer that, they will be unstoppable.”
Core, the new baseball coach, is a Mullica Hill native who competed in baseball and football in high school. He was part of a 2007 Parochial B State Championship baseball team and competed for a football state crown as well.
A graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University where he played baseball, Core possesses an undergraduate degree in history and a master’s in education.
“I knew that once my playing days were over I wanted to get into coaching,” said Core, who teaches history for the state’s Department of Children and Families Cape May County Regional Campus in Court House. “I was fortunate to come across this opportunity within such a great community. Coaching and teaching go hand-in-hand. As a coach and a teacher it is always satisfying to see your students and players succeed.”
Core said his biggest challenge as a first-year head coach will be to get the upperclassmen to buy into his philosophy. “I told the players at our first meeting that winning at the high school level isn’t complicated,” he said. “In order for us to be successful we have to do three things. We have to throw strikes, put the ball in play and make the routine plays.”
As for his first season in Erma, Core said he expects the players “to raise the bar for themselves” not only on the baseball field but in all aspects of their lives. “If we can do the best that we can on the baseball field, in the classroom, and in our personal lives, this season will be a success in more ways than one,” he said.
The new coach said he is “fortunate to have a great group of young men.” He said each of the boys “is very coachable.” He said the squad has “a solid group” of underclassmen including sophomores he expects to make a contribution to the team.
Core said his he will rely most on returning veterans Eric Goss, Brad Fournier, Mike Laing, Justin Tomin, Josh Meyer and Mike Downes. He said Lower Cape May plans on being competitive within the CAL and South Jersey Group II.
“I hope that by the time the playoffs roll around we are playing our best baseball and can make some noise come tournament time,” he said. “By season’s end I hope that I was able to get everything possible out of each and every one of my players. If we can get each player to be the best he possibly can be we will have a successful season.”