Ready, Willing, and Able

From her tee-ball days to her high school career as a four-season softball starter and All-League of Independent Schools catcher at Trinity Episcopal to her stint as a pitcher on William & Mary’s club team, Kelsey Watson competed with joy and spirit, savored what some might call “the grind,” and learned from her mentors every step of the way.

 

When her playing days ended, she became a coach, first at the little league level before working her way up the ladder, rung by rung by rung. Most important, she found meaning in the successes and the challenges as well as the victories, certainly, and even the defeats.

 

Yep, she’s paid her dues, and when Robby Turner, Collegiate’s head varsity softball coach since 2011, stepped down following the 2025 season, Watson, an assistant on his staff, had more than earned the opportunity to succeed him.

 

“We’re very excited for Kelsey to be our next head softball coach and program leader,” said Andrew Stanley, Collegiate’s athletics director.  “She’s a dedicated coach who’s worked tirelessly to build relationships up and down the program. That will help her start her run on solid footing as she works to build on the legacy Robby spent so many years creating. Kelsey is an accomplished coach with a level of dedication and work ethic that’s very, very special.”

 

After earning her undergraduate degree in geology, she worked as an archaeologist in Jamestown, as a staff member at the Science Museum of Virginia, as a chemistry teacher at St. Catherine’s, and as a JV softball coach at Thomas Dale High School and varsity assistant at St. Catherine’s.

 

Since July 2021, she’s served as assistant to the athletic directors at Collegiate, where she coached JV softball the first year before becoming Turner’s assistant.

 

“Kelsey’s great,” Turner said. “She’s great at organizing and really connects with the girls. She’s always been available to work with them during the day when it fit in their schedule. Her passion for softball shows when she’s coaching or just talking about the sport. Her commitment to the program is undeniable. Her energy and passion will be a guiding force moving forward.”

 

Coaching is a calling for Watson, who also teaches an Upper School archaeology class and serves as a Middle School science department substitute.

 

“I can’t imagine not coaching,” she said. “I love the interaction with the kids and sharing my love for the game and seeing them find joy in it and get better every day. These kids won’t play sports forever, but it’s the connections they make and the lessons they take away and carry through life that are so important.”

 

The lessons?

 

“I hope these girls gain confidence,” she said. “When I think back to what I gained from playing, it was community, confidence, and persistence.”

 

Her mentors?

 

“Skip Johns made me want to coach,” she said of Trinity’s former sports performance director, who earlier served in a similar capacity at Collegiate. “And my JV basketball coach Laura Weiler made me realize that coaches can look like me. I’d never had a young female coach before. We had a lot of fun on that team.”

 

And Turner, of course.

 

“I really enjoyed coaching with Robby,” she said.  “What’s really unique about our program here is that a lot of the girls got their start at Collegiate, whether it was through RiverCats or going out for JV for the first time. We really have a program of home-grown kids.

        

“Robby had the ability to take these kids and be creative and use all of them to the best of their ability. We’ll have this girl run for this player. We’ll have the player who can get the bunt down. We’ve been a little unconventional. Robby wasn’t afraid to be unconventional. That’s something I learned from him.”

 

Watson’s experience as a catcher — essentially, the field general — serves her well as a coach.

 

“You get to see everything (in the field) and know all the parts,” she said of the position. “You work with the pitcher. You know (the tendencies of) the batters coming to the plate. What pitch are we going to throw? How do our fielders need to be set up?  I really like being part of the entire game.”

 

Watson inherits a team which lost its top two players, multiple-time All-LIS selections Mary Ann Zyglocke and Harper Murphy, to graduation. Her challenge will be to cultivate new leadership, perpetuate the culture of positivity and daily improvement, and, as Turner did, play to the strengths of the returning athletes.

 

She’s undaunted by the challenge.

 

“It’s exciting to have all these kids, and I’m excited to see how they come into their own and what they grow into,” she said. “A lot of them are young. They haven’t played a lot. When something clicks, it clicks. I don’t know what that’s going to be for each game. We’ll see what the season holds. I’m excited to see what that is.”

~Weldon Bradshaw