Jen Goodwin, who spent the last two years as the Assistant Executive Director for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, was named the head softball coach at Yale in August of 2012.

At the NFCA, Goodwin’s primary duties included managing the curriculum for the Association’s Coaches College, developing the NFCA’s new recruiting tournaments, which launched in the summer of 2011, and serving as the director of the StrikeOut Cancer program which raised more the $250,000 in two years.

Goodwin also has extensive Ivy League coaching experience. She spent two years as an assistant at Harvard, recruiting two-time Ivy League Pitcher of the Year Rachel Brown and helping guide the Crimson to the 2007 Ivy League title, and was Dartmouth’s interim head coach in 2004.

“I truly believe in the Ivy League philosophy and all that it stands for and couldn’t be more excited with all that Yale has to offer," Goodwin said.

In her two years as an assistant to Jenny Allard at Harvard, the Crimson won 56 games, including a 28-12 mark in Ivy League play, and captured the North Division title each year. In 2007, Harvard advanced to the NCAA Tournament, dropping a pair of one-run games at the Hofstra Regional. In addition to recruiting Brown, who holds virtually every Harvard pitching record, Goodwin worked closely with Harvard’s hitters, who improved in every statistical category both years.

“I pride myself on being a teacher of the fundamentals,” Goodwin said. “I look forward to getting into the cages with the hitters especially, working with them on becoming more independent in the batter’s box, and handling their failures. Everyone knows that even the best hitters fail seven out of 10 at bats, so my approach with the hitters will be to help manage those failures.”

At Dartmouth, the Big Green won 17 games and set a school record for home runs in a season under her tutelage. Following her stint at Harvard, Goodwin returned to Dartmouth as the Director of Basketball Operations.

Prior to Harvard, Goodwin spent two seasons as the associate head coach at San Jose State. In addition, she was the head coach at Simmons College (2001-02) and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (1999-2000).

“Jen comes to Yale with exceptional credentials and a very keen understanding of the Ivy League,” Athletics Director Tom Beckett said. “Her career as a student athlete was outstanding and her impact as a coach has likewise been extraordinary. We are thrilled to appoint her as our head coach.”

A four-year softball letterwinner at Bridgewater State, Goodwin was a three-time All-American at first base, third base and utility. Upon graduation, she ranked fifth in Division III career home runs with 38 and held four career school records – batting average (.464), doubles (46), home runs (38) and RBI (200). She was the 1995 and 1996 ECAC Player of the Year and was inducted into the Bridgewater State Hall of Fame in 2005.

Following graduation, she played for the Stratford Brakettes, where she was a third-team ASA All-American at third base. Goodwin also played two years on the USA Women’s National Baseball team and worked as an instructor at various camps, including four years as a head coach at the Nomar Garciaparra Baseball Camp.

Barbara Reinalda, who has spent the last eight seasons as the Yale head coach, will remain on the staff, serving as the associate head coach.

Barbara Reinalda was named associate head coach following the 2012 season. Reinalda, who was inducted into the National Softball Hall of Fame in 1999, begins her 15th season at Yale in 2013, which includes eight as the head coach. 

She was named the co-head coach of the Bulldogs prior to the start of the 2005 season after spending seven years as Yale's top assistant. She earned her 100th victory at Yale in 2009, a 1-0 win over Dartmouth. Overall, she guided the Bulldogs to 145 wins, the second most in school history.

In 2006, her first season solely in charge of the team, she led the Bulldogs to 28 wins, only three shy of the school record. In 2009, Yale posted its best Ivy record since 2003 and won at least 20 games for the fourth straight year.

Reinalda has worked closely with the Yale pitching staffs during her tenure. In 2004, she helped Peggy Hunt lead the Ivy League in earned run average and the Yale staff tie the school record with 13 shutouts.

The Bulldogs also have had a potent offense during her tenure. In 2006, the team set school records in home runs with 29 and total bases with 520 and tied the school record with 57 doubles. Two of her pupils, Megan Enyeart and Katie Edwards, are among Yale's record holders in several offensive categories.

As a player, Reinalda was one of the most successful pitchers in fast pitch softball history. She spent 19 years with the world-renowned Raybestos Brakettes and is the winningest pitcher in team history with a 441-31 record. During her career, she pitched 19 perfect games, 31 no-hitters, 76 one-hitters and 312 shutouts. In 1994, her final season with the team, she compiled a 14-0 record and a 0.38 ERA, while opposing hitters batted only .145 against her. She ended her career with 77 consecutive victories, a streak that spanned more than four years.

Reinalda also has a wealth of international experience. She was part of the 1986 Team USA squad that competed at the world championships and was a member of the 1983 team that represented the United States at the Pan American Games. A native of Bellflower, Calif.,

Reinalda is a 1980 graduate of Cal Poly Pomona, where she was a business management major.

Denise Denis begins her first year on Jen Goodwin's staff in 2012-13. A personal trainer in the tri-state area, Denis has been a coach/instructor at Bobby Valentine’s Sports Academy and the Director of Training/Sport Performance Trainer at the Parisi Speed School in Stamford, Conn.

Denis was an NFCA Northeast All-Region selection as a senior at UMass. She also earned first team All-ECAC and Atlantic 10 honors. UMass won the A-10 championship in each of her four years and she participated in the NCAA Regionals each year.

Denis remains active as a player with the Stratford Brakettes, helping the team to six national ASA titles. She is a two-time National Most Valuable Player selection and a seven-time first team All-American. In addition, she is second in career home runs for the Brakettes.

Denis is a 2005 UMass graduate.

“Denise brings a wealth of experience as an outfielder as well as in the batter’s box, so I’ll look forward to seeing our outfield play improve under her guidance,” Goodwin said. “I’m also excited to have a UMass graduate on our staff as they are a storied program with a history of success so her experience from her collegiate playing days will also be a great addition to this staff.”

Cheryl Peterson comes to Yale after serving as an assistant coach at York College last spring, her second stint with the Spartans.  She had served as a volunteer assistant coach in 2010 when she helped York to a 36-9 overall record and a berth in the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament championship game. In 2011, Peterson returned to her alma mater, Penn State-Behrend, serving as a graduate assistant coach while completing her master’s degree in business administration.

In addition, she has extensive coaching experience with travel softball squads in California, including serving as the head coach for the San Diego Landsharks and the San Diego Power Surge. She also served as the assistant coach for The Next Level in San Diego in the summer of 2010, helping lead the team to a second-place finish at the U-14 Triple Crown World Series.

Peterson was a four-year starter at PSU-Behrend and was a three-time All-Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference selection. At the time of her graduation, she ranked in the top-10 in program history in doubles, batting average, hits, singles, RBI, at bats and runs scored. She also played with the USA Athletes International softball squad that captured first place at the Darwin Games in Darwin, Australia.

She is a 2003 graduate of PSU-Behrend.

“Cheryl has a great knowledge of the game and a keen eye for seeing the small details on which we need to improve,” Yale head coach Jen Goodwin said. “On the field, she will mainly work with our catchers and outfielders, but what I’m most excited about is that she is a whiz in the office. With the technology we are embracing this year, she will have a big hand in helping us with video analysis as well as scouting our opponents.”