(Greenfield) A former Earlham star is the new head coach of the Nodaway Valley softball team. Abbey Queck’s hire was announced by the school in late April. Queck, whose maiden name is Murphy, had 14 home runs and 118 RBI in her last two years of high school, capping things off as a member of the Cardinal’s 2014 state championship team.
At Nodaway Valley she wants to bring a love for the game, teach life lessons, and instill hard work. “If you work hard a lot of good things will happen. I think Nodaway Valley definitely has a lot of athletes right now and it shines through in basketball and track. Softball really has a great shot of being one of those sports.”
Queck lives in the Fontanelle area so she’s excited to be closer to home among other perks of the gig. “They had a PE position open and that’s what I went to school for and then they said they had softball open. My dream is definitely to be a head coach and teach girls and give back to the sport…it’s a perfect fit.”
Queck has coaching experience through Iowa Premier where she’s been associated with several Division I and II athletes. She spent last summer as an assistant at Lenox. “I got to work with Mandy Stoaks. I learned a lot from her. She does an awesome job with her culture there. They have such a great community. That’s something I definitely want to bring to Nodaway Valley is how much of a team and how much of a family they are down there. I think that helps when you are competing and you’re a family and have each other’s backs.”
Baseball and softball practices would typically be underway by now, but for this season teams are waiting optimistically to get the green light to proceed. June 1st is the target date for more information on the chances to have a shortened season. Nodaway Valley went 11-17 last season, but on paper they bring back everyone.
