{"id":28845,"date":"2016-02-23T15:19:11","date_gmt":"2016-02-23T20:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/2016\/02\/23\/assistant-coach-steps-up-to-the-plate\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T15:54:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T19:54:31","slug":"assistant-coach-steps-up-to-the-plate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2016\/02\/23\/assistant-coach-steps-up-to-the-plate\/","title":{"rendered":"Assistant Coach Steps up to the Plate"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Haverhill<\/a>

Haverhill resident Kendra Hobbs has moved up from assistant softball coach to head softball coach at NECC.<\/p><\/div>\n

For two years, Kendra Hobbs was the understudy for the role of head softball coach at Northern Essex Community College. Last week Hobbs stepped into the spotlight as coach. It is a role she has been preparing for since she was a young girl.<\/p>\n

The 24-year-old Haverhill resident served as NECC\u2019s assistant softball coach for the last two seasons when the softball team was revitalized under Coach Robert Gillespie. He recently resigned to become softball coach at Newburyport High School.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t plan on missing a beat,\u201d said the 2009 Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School graduate where she was a star softball player. In 2013, she graduated from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts where she studied biology and was a valued member of both the softball and volleyball teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very fortunate to have had Kendra on our staff. She was able to move right into the head coaching job.\u00a0Kendra will do a great job as she is very knowledgeable about the sport of softball. She knows the student-athletes and is very familiar with NECC,\u201d said Northern Essex Athletic Director Sue MacAvoy.<\/p>\n

As head coach, Hobbs has the opportunity to meld her personal playing experience, which she has honed since she was 12, with her coaching experience. Before she was tapped to be the assistant NECC softball coach, Hobbs coached 12 to 18 year-olds on travel teams for five years. She still coaches a U-16 team.<\/p>\n

In addition to her coaching duties, Hobbs works as a long-term, substitute teacher in the Haverhill school system. She is also working on completing her teaching licensure and is planning to enroll in a master\u2019s degree program in secondary education.<\/p>\n

Other than play softball, Hobbs says there are two paths she has always wanted to follow \u2013 teaching and coaching; the first allows time for the second and the second complements the first, she says.<\/p>\n

Her coaching style, she says, is to set an example.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a lot of patience. I like to teach,\u201d she says. \u201cI like to take the friendly approach and show by example. I get things done when I need to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hobbs has the more than a dozen players who have joined the team working on conditioning. Some players are returning for their second year, so Hobbs is already familiar with their playing ability.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a good group. They are academically stable. These students have plans for their future,\u201d she says. \u201cThey are invested in themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hobbs says she would really like to see the team make it to the state championship, but acknowledges that with only one pitcher it could be a challenge.<\/p>\n

Hobbs says her players can expect a season of fitness and strength training.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome coaches start the season with fitness and strength and then back off,\u201d she says. \u201cI think it\u2019s crucial to stay strong for the whole season because it\u2019s a long season and the players need endurance.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to going for the win, Hobbs says, she hopes her players have fun and learn something.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a team, we are really stepping in the right direction,\u201d she says. \u201cWe could skyrocket over the next few years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Northern Essex offers a variety of varsity sports including Men\u2019s basketball, softball, women\u2019s volleyball, men and women\u2019s track & field, men and women\u2019s cross country, and men\u2019s baseball. For information on joining a team, visit the official website of Northern Essex Athletics<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For two years, Kendra Hobbs was the understudy for the role of head softball coach at Northern Essex Community College. Last week Hobbs stepped into the spotlight as coach. 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