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[ The Elmhurst Scene ]
The Right Chemistry
You don't need a Ph.D. to coach baseball, but Joel Southern says it actually helps.
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Joel Southern always figured he might one day be a baseball coach, and today he is, at Elmhurst. But he took an unconventional route to his new job. His resume includes not just the usual dues-paying assistant coaching posts but also a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from the University of Chicago. He also did a stint as assistant professor of chemistry at Western New England College, where he was an assistant on the baseball staff.
"I didn't take the normal path," he acknowledges. In the early 1990s, Southern was a standout student as well as an all-conference infielder at Augustana College. He completed his graduate studies in chemistry while working as an assistant coach at Chicago. He says living with one foot in the dugout and the other in the chemistry lab had afforded him a rare perspective.
"Do you need an Ph.D. in chemistry to be a baseball coach? No," he says. "But did it make me a better baseball coach? Yes. It requires a certain work ethic. If you if things the right way in one area of your life, it shows up in the other areas as well."
At Elmhurst, Southern will be focusing solely on baseball, though he say he misses teaching chemistry and would like eventually to return to the classroom. Still, he says that when it comes to shaping young lives, coaches have some advantages over professors.
"We're in a unique position of influence as coaches," says Southern. "You just don't get the same response in the classroom. If someone is happy to take a C-minus in my class, there's not much I can do about it. But athletics is a complete meritocracy. If they want to compete, they have to respond. A coach has more of a chance to shape their work ethic. I've been on both sides, and that's the reality."
Southern spent the past four seasons at Western New England, where he helped lead the team to three consecutive thirty-win seasons. At Elmhurst, he takes over for Clark Jones, who stepped down after fourteen seasons as head coach. Southern inherits a team coming off at 14-23-1 record and an eighth-place finish in 2006.
He introduced himself to his new team during their autumn workouts. Allowed sixteen practices in the fall by NCAA regulations, Southern knew he could hope to accomplish only so much in September. "It's a sprint. You have a lot to get done in a short time, especially this year, because everything is new and we wanted to establish how we as a team are going to go about our business."
Southern will be able to rely on some key players from last season's squad, including senior shortstop Anthony Contaldo, the 2006 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Player of the Year. Last season, Contaldo batted .474 and led the Bluejays with nine home runs. Senior Kyle Bjerga will help lead an experienced pitching staff. southern will look for junior center-fielder Tom Rhein to act as a catalyst in the leadoff spot.
The Bluejays are hoping to qualify for the CCIW post-season tournament for the first time since 2004. Southern say his team is capable of great things. But, as he reminded them often this spring, that will require a lot of hard work and, of course, getting the chemistry right. |
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Green Living
West Hall, Elmhurst's state-of-the-art 'green' residence, was dedicated at Homecoming this year.
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Real Deal
Graduate programs prepare professionals for a high level of service and achievement.
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Yes, They Did
Professor Russell Ford’s J-term class witnessed Obama’s historic inauguration.
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Next Stop, Chicago
Students turn the city into a bustling extension of their suburban campus.
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Interfaith Activist
Commencement speaker Eboo Patel wins recognition for his 2007 autobiography.
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Big Questions
EC’s thought-provoking student orientation program is featured in the Chicago Tribune.
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