BY Ross Edwards
Sentinel & Enterprise
RINDGE, N.H. (May 11, 2011) - Former Stonehill College softball student-athlete Christine Grenache, '06, has been named the head coach of fellow Northeast-10 Conference member Franklin Pierce University, the school announced this week. Grenache was a four-year letterwinner for the Skyhawks from 2002-06.
The Rindge, N.H., school announced Monday that Leominster High graduate Christine Grenache will replace outgoing coach Richard Hurley at the helm, effective July 1.
"I am ecstatic," Grenache said. "It's an amazing opportunity for me. The Northeast 10 Conference provides some of the best softball in the region, and the schedule is very competitive, but we're looking forward to the challenge next year."
After graduating from LHS in 2002, Grenache played softball at Stonehill College, captaining the team her junior and senior years. She also got a taste of the sport on the international level, representing the United States at the 2006 Friendship Series in Sydney, Australia, as well as the 2007 Goodwill Games in Lima, Peru.
She took over as the head coach of the Newbury College softball team in 2007, guiding the Nighthawks, who had been winless the previous year, to an 11-10 record, earning Division III Independent Co-Coach of the Year honors for the amazing turnaround. Grenache coached at Newbury for four years, before joining the Ravens as an assistant coach last season.
"I'm very excited to be naming Christine Grenache as our next head coach here at Franklin Pierce," Ravens athletic director Bruce Kirsh said in a press release. "She has previous head coaching experience and did an outstanding job in that role at Newbury College. She is familiar with the team we have here at Franklin Pierce and I look forward to working with her as she continues to build the program."
Grenache inherits a Ravens squad that went 10-31 this past season, led by another former Blue Devil star, Emily Griffin. The senior second baseman will graduate this weekend as the program's all-time leader in career hits and doubles. She hit .306 in her final season, driving in 17 runs and scoring 22 times.
"Emily Griffin is a tough loss for us, in addition to Kayla Johnson, who was our other senior captain. But I'm really excited about the group that is returning," Grenache said. "They're a group that really gets along for the most part and they're really committed to turning the page here. They're close. There are things we need to work hard on and improve on, but they're ready for the challenge and they're moving on together."
Grenache, who captained the Leominster field hockey and basketball teams her senior season in addition to playing softball, said she expects Central Mass. to continue to be a fertile source of talent for the Franklin Pierce program. She takes over for Hurley, a Leominster resident who served as head coach for the past nine years. He was the longest-tenured coach in program history and holds the program record for career wins.
Grenache expressed great respect for all the outgoing coach has accomplished at the school.
"Coach Hurley has been at the helm of this program and really done a lot of things that even statistically aren't measured here," she said. "He's a great guy and he provided a lot of support and a lot of guidance for me through the process. He has a lot of regional knowledge and clearly has a passion for the game. I think he'll be missed here. ... I was very appreciative to coach Hurley and the efforts he took in encouraging me for the position, and very humbled by the support of the athletic department and the university as a whole."
Grenache is eager to get the Ravens back on track. She won't officially take over as head coach for nearly two months, but was still hard at work as the evening hours rolled around Monday.
"I'm in the office right now," she chuckled. "July 1 is a logistics start date, but we'll get to work as soon we can."
