Former Plum slugger pleased to be back in purple as coach at Evansville

Jordan Seneca had last worn purple in a softball-game setting in the spring of 2014 as a senior at Plum.

This past fall, she again donned that familiar color, beginning a tenure as a graduate assistant coach with the softball program at Division I University of Evansville.

It is a perfect fit, Seneca said, for her coaching pursuits and academic goals. While helping what she feels is a program that can do big things in the Missouri Valley Conference and beyond, the record-setting hitter at St. Francis (Pa.) also has begun a course of study that will lead to a master’s degree in leadership.

“When I interviewed (over the summer), it was pretty immediate after talking to (head coach Mat Mundell), the conversation we had, it was something I knew I wanted very much,” said Seneca, who spent the better part of the past two springs honing her college coaching skills at La Salle University in Philadelphia.

“It was everything I was looking for personally and for my career.”

Despite the ongoing covid pandemic, Seneca moved quickly in getting settled in, preparing for her initial graduate classes and the fall workout schedule with the Purple Aces.

“When I saw her name, I immediately recognized it from her playing days at St. Francis,” Mundell said. “This will be the third year of us adopting a hitting philosophy that she used in her playing days. We reached out, and obviously it was a different interview process with covid, but we were able to get a good feel from her on the phone and Zoom. We were excited to bring her on board.”

Mundell said it didn’t take long for the players to connect with Seneca.

“She brings credibility from her playing career, especially with what she did at the plate and then also as an infielder,” Mundell said. “There is a great line of communication between her and the players. Her passion for the game really comes out, and the girls really latched onto that.”

Seneca said the fall schedule of workouts was a positive with no covid-related interruptions.

“We might not have gotten as much done as we had hoped some days, but overall, we were pretty productive,” she said. “We did a lot of good things we hope can carry over to the spring.”

The team is on schedule to begin the spring season as normal in early February.

Last year, the Purple Aces went 12-11 overall and picked up a win over Illinois from the Big Ten. They had won four of six and were picking up steam when the season was canceled.

“We’re staying positive as we can about everything,” said Seneca, who owns a degree from St. Francis in exercise physiology. “We just told them to work hard over the next few weeks and stay safe so that when we can come back, we can focus on what we need to do. We just want to play games and have fun.”

When the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March caused the NCAA to cancel the remainder of the spring sports seasons, Seneca said she realized she wanted to pursue new opportunities for herself, both in education and coaching, and ended her time at La Salle.

While back in Plum, she weighed her options while keeping her softball coaching focus sharp through the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. She took advantage of videos and online sessions the organization offered throughout the summer intended to help coaches at all levels remain in the game and learn new things from others in the sport.

“I was trying to be creative and come up with ideas for the unknown,” Seneca said. “I worked on my resume so I could be ready. The biggest thing I had to remember was to take it one day at a time as I was trying to figure out what my future was going to be.

“I think everything happens for a reason. There were a few stressful moments, but it all worked out in my favor, and I am extremely happy where I am at right now.”

A multiple-time all-star at the local and state level during her time at Plum, Seneca lettered four years at St. Francis and helped the Red Flash win back-to-back Northeast Conference championships in 2017-18.

The former shortstop belted 48 career home runs, a record at St. Francis and in the NEC. She also holds Red Flash records for runs (181), walks (154) and steals (56) while finishing second in RBIs (156).