Wheaton College Alumni Magazine Winter 2013 | Page 12

WHEATON sports

In the Pocket
Having come up through the program, Wheaton’s new
head softball coach offers students inside expertise.
by Brett Marhanka, Sports Information Director

During her senior
season, Katie Iser East ’11
set school records
for base hits and career
stolen bases.

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“I am looking for women who
want to be part of something, and part of
something that makes a difference,” says
Katie Iser East ’11, named head coach of the
Wheaton College softball program in July.
Katie served as assistant coach in 2012,
and replaces her own former head coach,
Chris Hudson ’94, following his sixyear tenure. A stellar contributor to the
program, Katie set school records, earned
all-conference and all-region recognition,
and helped lead the program to its first
conference tournament berth since 2002.
Hudson, who recruited and coached
Katie, and hired her as assistant coach,
says, “Although Katie is a great athlete,
what really sets her apart is her ability to
be mentally tough. As she entered her
record-breaking senior season, she honed
her ability to block out stress and channel
game pressure into positive energy and
successful outcomes.”
As a player at Wheaton, Katie set school
records for stolen bases in a career and
single season (2011). During her breakout

senior season of 2011 she established a
school record for base hits with 62 as
she earned all-region and all-conference
honors. In addition to setting Wheaton’s
career stolen bases record, she is second
all-time in games played (158) and
fourth in base hits (146) for the Thunder
softball program.
Excited about the opportunity to lead,
Katie says, “I felt God calling me here
to coach so that I can help women grow
the way I grew.” She adds, “As a player,
my coaches invested in me by pushing
me to do my best in school, helping me
through family problems, and helping
me through relational problems. My
coaches cared about me as a person and
as a player.”
She sees the potential for tremendous
growth for every student-athlete through
the dynamics of participating on a team.
“The softball team was a huge part of my
experience here because they were my
sisters in Christ. It was this community
that I had never had before. I always