Beth Woerner: A True Competitor and A People’s Coach

By: Ben Rekosh

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Beth Woerner has been around baseball her entire life. Some of her most cherished memories are attending her brother’s conference tournaments. But it wasn’t until after college that she realized she wanted to be a coach.

From University of Charleston in West Virginia, to Lebanon Valley College, back to JMU, and now with the Tom Sox, Woerner has always been a historical anecdote.

As a kid Woerner played softball and excelled at soccer, but baseball was just something that she watched her brother compete in.

The competitions in the Woerner household were remarkable growing up, although she can reluctantly admit that her brother Steven was the better athlete.

Upon attending James Madison University, she was a member of the Marching Royal Dukes, which is the prestigious marching band at the then-FCS institution.

It does not totally count as a sport, she joked, but it is an accomplishment that a number of people talk about when describing who Beth Woerner is.

A moment of longing came in Florida, on a trip nearing her graduation from JMU: “I needed more baseball in my life,” Woerner said.

Later that day, she sat on the couch and started to Google women baseball coaches… just to see what the path for her could look like.

Not much came up in her search, though that did not stop her from marking her own path.

Coach Woerner has risen through the ranks since first getting an eye on the player development side of the sport in Washington, D.C.

From where to stand in the dugout, to how to manage a pitching staff, and even how to interact with different players, she has had to learn every aspect of coaching.

She takes pride in being the first full-time female coach in Charlottesville’s franchise history, but she does not let it deter her from the task at hand.

“It is an accomplishment, and it does mean something… but I also don’t know what it’s like to not be a woman coach,” Woerner said.

Woerner is all about perspective. This summer is as much a learning experience for her as it is for the players, she said.

The opportunity to learn from former MLB pitcher and current Tom Sox head coach Randy Tomlin was hard to pass up. The way that Tomlin manages a game is different from any other coach, according to Woerner, plus his knowledge of the game is vast and advantageous.

In a season full of ups and downs, Woerner has learned to take the bumps and bruises. That is one of the characteristics that Tomlin likes the most about Woerner: her work ethic. She consistently brings an attitude of willingness and competitiveness to the ballpark, he says, which is difficult in a grueling summer setting.

For a Tom Sox team that began the season with the worst start in franchise history, the group now sees itself in playoff positioning. The rough stretch helped bond the team, she believes.

“The more that [the Tom Sox] can play together, the more cohesive it becomes and continuing to have fun and make the best of the summer,” Woerner said.

Both Tomlin and Charlottesville infielder Chase Jackson shared a sentiment that it is notable that there is a woman on the coaching staff, yet it is not a fact that is often relevant.

Woerner has the same goal as any other coach: help the team win and build great people. Jackson recognized that quickly upon arrival to Charlottesville.

“She does everything that she can to help us make the game easier… she knows the game just like anybody else,” according to Jackson.

Woerner has a passion for teaching, yet there is one word that she consistently reverts back to when talking about the game of baseball. “Fun.”

Wherever her baseball journey takes her, she vows to have joy within the game. College baseball is what Woerner loves, she said, and that stems all the way back to watching her brother compete at Bridgewater College.

The pure competition and developmental stage of a person’s life is why it is more attractive to her than the professional game. Woerner is the type of coach that wants to interact with the players on a daily basis, and it is her goal to find a place where she can do that.

Competing for championships is important, and winning is great, but the real impact is made off of the baseball diamond.

“It's about the people you meet along the way and the memories you make and that's really what makes sports so special,” she said.

For the full interview with Coach Beth Woerner, visit Youtube. To view more information about the Tom Sox, go to tomsox.org.