Softball: Cary-Grove hires Cara Neff as head coach

Cara Neff dreamed of running her own softball program when she interviewed for a teaching position five years ago at Cary-Grove.

Neff, who had previous varsity-level coaching experience at Prairie Ridge and was a coach on the Trojans’ staff in the spring, finally will get her wish.

Neff was officially hired as the C-G softball coach last month and will take over for longtime coach Tammy Olson, an Illinois Softball Coaches Association Hall of Famer who retired after 30-plus seasons.

“When I interviewed five years ago, I told them my dream was to teach and coach softball,” Neff said. “I’ve always wanted my own program. I had an amazing experience in high school with softball. I had some struggles in my personal life, but softball was always there for me and my coaches were always there.

“I could do nothing but look forward to softball, and I want that for my girls. I want that positive feeling and positive place.”

Neff, a 2011 Wauconda graduate, played softball and volleyball at Bowie State in Maryland then transferred to Millersville University in Pennsylvania, where she continued to play softball.

Neff, who teaches math, is bringing back assistants Mark Olson, Tammy Olson’s husband, and Amy Clemment, both of whom will help run the JV team. Kaiti Novak, who also graduated from Wauconda and had previous coaching experience at C-G a few years ago, will be Neff’s assistant on the varsity level.

“I’m excited to take over because Cary-Grove is one of the most special places. I sound biased because I teach and coach here, but these kids don’t understand how good they have it. It’s a phenomenal school, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

—  Cara Neff, Cary-Grove softball coach

With seven seniors expected to be on the Trojans’ roster, Neff said Olson and Clemment are the perfect coaches to help build the lower levels.

Neff has met most of her players through team camps and meetings.

“The girls are the nicest girls I have ever coached,” she said. “They are good-hearted kids. My goal is to take these good-hearted kids and put a little fire into them. Niceness is great, but if you want success, you’ve got to have a little bit of a fire inside you.

“These girls are willing to do a lot of things. They care, they’re committed, but now they’ve got to fight. They’re phenomenal athletes, so I’m looking forward to finding a way to light that fire.”

Neff said taking over for Olson, who has more than 500 wins at C-G, is intimidating. But she’s also leaned on Olson as a valuable resource.

“She’s a wealth of knowledge and experience, and she has built the program from the bottom up,” Neff said. “She is my No. 1 go-to person if I have question, and I’m so happy that I have such a good relationship with her. She’s with me every step of the way. Respect is such an important aspect of the game to Coach Olson, and I definitely want to keep that going.

“I’m just thankful for everything she’s done with the program already. She’s done it all, so it’s exciting to just start from where she left off.”

Cary-Grove finished 13-20 last season and tied for fourth in the Fox Valley Conference at 8-10. The Trojans ended their season with 9-5 loss to Wauconda in a Class 3A regional final.

Seniors Becca Weaver (first team), Maddie Crick (second team) Kaley Koltz (honorable mention) and junior Aubrey Lonergan (honorable mention) were selected to the Northwest Herald All-Area softball team.

Neff is excited to take over a program with such a strong group of upperclassmen.

“They understand what the expectations are, so I can focus a lot more on how to grow the kids below us,” Neff said. “I want them leaving here and saying, ‘I helped the girls below us get better. I helped mold and make this program better.’

“I’m excited to take over because Cary-Grove is one of the most special places. I sound biased because I teach and coach here, but these kids don’t understand how good they have it. It’s a phenomenal school, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”