After finishing the 2016-2017 season with a 23-20 record, the Bison women’s softball team is ready to build on their success with a brand new head coach. John Hardt, director of athletics and recreation, recently announced the addition of Joey Lye to the Bison family. As an active member of the Canadian National Softball Team, Lye brings a plethora of experience to the position.

Before coming to Lewisburg, Lye served as an assistant coach at Williams College during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Lye went on to coach at Stevenson University and Lebanon Valley College. When asked what attracted her to the University, she commented on the quality of the student-athlete experience and the strong values of Bison athletics.

“Bucknell has an amazingly rich history both within the athletic department and the institution itself. Additionally, the school seems to provide a top quality student-athlete experience with similar values and expectations [as] my alma mater,” Lye said.

She expects to instill these values in her softball players, developing them not only as athletes, but also as people.

“There are so many qualities that can drive a great athlete, but if I had to choose five they would be: work ethic, grit, resilience, passion, and self-awareness,” Lye said. Lye went on to emphasize her desire to help her players maintain a healthy balance between athletics and academics, underscoring her intent to conduct productive practice sessions and teach them efficient time management skills.

Lye enters the head coach position at the helm of a young team with great talent and great potential. But, she hopes to use her experience as an active softball player for the Canadian National Team to also connect with her team on a deeper level.

“I hope to bring knowledge from my international experiences–working with and under amazing teammates and coaches I have a lot of resources to draw from,” Lye said. “I also love the fact that I can directly relate to the players on the team because I am training just as hard as they are both on the field and in the the weight room to get better every single day. It’s fun to share stories from my travels and continue to grow alongside my athletes.”

One of these “stories from [her] travels” is likely her Canadian National Team’s 2015 triumphant victory.

“In 2015, Team Canada had the opportunity to compete in the Pan American games on home soil. We won the gold medal in extra innings surrounded by family and friends and the most intense Canadian crowd we had ever played in front of,” Lye said.

She hopes to step in and lead Bison softball to similar success in Patriot League play this spring.