ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The Lady Saints softball season is still some time away from beginning, and there will be a new face at the helm with new head coach Kimber Cortemelia.
And as Cortemelia tells it, she is no stranger to the game.
“I have been playing softball since I was very young, I’ve been told I was playing before I could officially run,” Cortemelia said. “Considering I’ve been playing basically since I was big enough to walk, I was told I always had a fascination with fidgeting and playing with things and being on the move. I love being on the move, and anything that helps my hand-eye coordination is even better. I’m also a competitive person, so if there was some sort of challenge, it was my task to immediately perfect it and get good. Softball is a game that sparked my competitiveness that other sports couldn’t. Softball is also kind of a funny game because you can fail and succeed at the same time – i.e., you can strike out twice in a row but then later on have a huge hit that can make a big difference in the game, and I enjoy seeing players grow not only as athletes, but as people as well in terms of how they deal with adversity and failure. There’s no feeling like being surrounded by people you’ve grown close to while playing a sport that challenges you so much, and what kept me in the game was not only my fellow players but the fact I got to go out and compete every day for so long.”
And her playing career spanned multiple levels.
“Out of high school, I committed to and attended the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, and I only spent a year there because halfway through that season, the coaching staff was fired, so I chose to redshirt that year,” Cortemelia said. “The next year, I went to Blinn College in Blinn, Texas, where I spent one season, and then I transferred to the University of Texas at Arlington, where I spent four years. In total, I played collegiate softball for six years, so my total playing career was more than 20 years. When I finished playing, my first coaching stop was at Butler Community College in El Dorado – my fiancé had been there first, and then I came along, so we got kind of a package deal, and I’ve been there the past two years as an assistant coach while also managing a private softball lesson business and helping train many young softball players as well as two separate travel ball teams around the Butler County area. And soon, I’ll be starting there at Seward as the new head coach.”
And it was only rather recently when Cortemelia officially received the position.
“Cody [Cole] had reached out to both me and my fiancé because they had both the head coach position and Sports Information Director (SID) position open up, and that’s his specialty,” Cortemelia said. “Cody ran it by us and wanted to see if we were interested in coming to Seward and seeing if it would be a good fit for us. That opened up the door to those conversations, and then after talking to Cody more, we were invited to visit campus, which we did, and then it was a couple weeks ago when we officially accepted the positions. I feel extremely excited and blessed to be given this opportunity. I’m really excited to come in and start making a name for Seward and the facilities we have because the support we have behind us is huge. Being able to have the opportunity to run a program surrounded by people who truly care about its success is a game-changer and I’m so excited.”
And even though the position is still new for Cortemelia, she said there is plenty of work she wants to get started on soon.
“We’re looking at hiring an assistant, we’ve made some phone calls to people and we’re working on seeing and deciding who would be the best fit to help put the program back on the right path,” Cortemelia said. “I want someone in that position who will be ready to jump in and help develop these players on and off the field. I’m also out recruiting and looking for future Lady Saints softball players, we do still have some roster slots to fill for the foreseeable future. I’m really putting myself out there and making myself known before everything gets really busy and crazy with practices and everything else. I’m really looking forward to officially moving into Liberal and seeing how things go when everyone moves in on campus so we can get everything started.”
With this being her inaugural season, Cortemelia said she is excited to get to know her players.
“I’m really excited to be able to be a small part of their collegiate softball experience. The year I spent at a junior college was the best year of my life, so it’s very near and dear to my heart to be part of that experience for these athletes, whether in a small or big way,” Cortemelia said. “My goal is to give my players the best collegiate experience possible and get them as fine-tuned and ready to go as possible on the field, in the classroom and in the community. It’s important for us to pour into the cups that are pouring into ours, so we’re going to be out and about in the community and making sure these athletes are leaving here as strong, independent role models. One of my main goals is for us to get out on the field and get a bunch of wins while also learning a lot along the way. I want the girls to come in and be competitive, hard-working and dedicated to the game. I want the girls to do all the small things correctly so the big things will come our way in a positive manner. We’re ready to get in, work hard, and make waves.”
Overall, Cortemelia said, she is excited to be part of the Liberal community.
“I’m just excited to get there. The first time my fiancé visited Liberal, we were greeted by this elderly couple, and they didn’t hesitate to be kind and warm and welcoming toward us, and they didn’t know us from Adam and Eve,” Cortemelia said. “From what I’ve experienced so far, that seems to be the norm for the people of Liberal, and being able to be part of a community like that is so, so special. My fiancé and I are so excited to get to Liberal, he’s going to be the Seward SID, and we’re both just incredibly blessed to take on this opportunity Seward is giving us. We’re ready to dive in head first and really hit the ground running.”
