It’s been about passion, and it’s been about adapting to the many changes that have rolled Jerry Magistro on his path to his 400th victory as a girls’ softball coach in the Upper Ohio Valley.
Magistro’s Lady Riders recorded a 7-4, come-from-behind win over visiting Linsly on Thursday to record the milestone victory after sophomore second baseman Abby Snedecker smacked a three-run, walk-off homer to break a 4-4 tie. His team had raced out to a 10-0 record to begin the 2023 season, but then a two-game losing streak had Magistro stuck at No. 399.
“Those young ladies are too talented so I knew it was only a matter of time,” the 22-year softball coach said. “We were rusty from not playing because of cancellations, but they got back on track, that’s for sure.”
And now, after grudgingly agreeing to take over the softball program at St. John Central back in 2001, Magistro has joined only a few other OVAC coaches with 400 victories.
“It does feel good because of all of the years I’ve coached. I’ve coached for more than 40 years because of my seasons in football when I was a defensive coordinator at a few different schools, and that included coaching for my brother (John) before he left the area for an opportunity,” Magistro said. “But then I decided to get out of football so I could start coaching softball and I’ve never regretted it.
“When I was asked back in 2001 to take over the softball program at St. John’s, I thought I would only be in it until my own daughters were finished playing, but that’s not how that worked out,” he said with a broad smile. “People ask me these days why I keep coaching, and I just tell them that I love the game and love the kids, and I just want to see them win as much as possible. I’ve been lucky because it’s worked out that way and there are a lot of people I have to thank for getting me here. Those 400 wins represent a lot of people and not just me.”
Purple City Softball
According to Kim North of the Wheeling newspapers, Magistro recorded 247 victories during his 19 seasons with St. John, and his 400th career win was #53 in Martins Ferry.
Magistro also has guided the Lady Riders to the past two OVAC Class 3 championships.
“Through all of these years, it’s been about passion, and it’s been about accepting the changes that have come my way,” the head coach explained. “I’ve seen a lot of coaches quit because they didn’t want to put up with the changes, but they’ve not all been that bad and some of them have made this game even better on this level.
“But it is true. In my 22 years, just about everything has changed, so including the rules, the fields, the parents, and how the kids go about their business, too,” Magistro said. “But people are people and that’s what people do; they change. And, like I said, it’s not all been bad.”
Solid pitching these days is imperative in high school softball, Magistro insisted, and that means development begins far earlier in a young lady’s life.
“The pitching is really, really important these days where when I first started coaching, it was important but not most important,” the coach explained. “As the years passed, though, we found out that if you had one or two really good pitchers, you were going to have a great year as long as used those pitchers the right way.
“It’s still a team game, of course, but fielding was much more important 20 years ago, It’s hard to explain because you’ve always had to have a team that fields well and hits well, but the importance on the pitching has changed things,” Magistro said. “But the rules of the game are still the rules of the game.”
Another big change, and one Magistro believes was long overdue, is the attention the female student-athletes receive now for their athletic accomplishments.
“Girls’ softball finally is getting the attention it deserves, and it’s not just softball but all of the other female sports, too. The young ladies are finally getting credit for being the great athletes they are,” Magistro said. “And the ladies are getting scholarships and everything like they should have for a lot of years.
“And you have to give the parents a lot of credit because they are doing what they need to do for their daughters. It’s impressive the dedication they have, especially when a travel team is involved,” he said. “We saw travel teams for the boys a lot of years ago, but now there are just as many for the young ladies, and good for them. It’s been long overdue.”
Magistro, though, is stubborn about one aspect involving high school softball.
“We can talk about all of the differences in the game all we want, but I still believe in the little things with the game, and I still coach about those little things. I think if you take care of those little things in softball, you’re going to win more games,” the 400-win coach insisted. “It’s about the fundamentals of hitting, of fielding, and just about how you go about playing the game.
“Everyone loves the no-hitters and the home runs, and they should, but that’s not what you get every time a pitcher pitches and when a hitter hits, but if your team is always doing those little things, then you’ll be in a better position to win the close games,” the veteran coach added. “Leaving runs on the field is not how you win games.”
