John Carmigiano steps down as Cloverleaf softball coach

WESTFIELD TWP. — Wanting the Cloverleaf softball team's awards banquet to be about the players, John Carmigiano waited until it was over to pull his underclassmen aside and inform them he would not be returning as coach. "I'm one of those people who wants to quietly fade into the darkness, but I also wanted them to hear it from me before someone else told them," the 51-year-old said Monday. "I felt it was important for them to know first." Counting the pandemic-canceled season in 2020, Carmigiano compiled a 249-298 record in 20 seasons as softball coach. He will be back for his 20th season as girls basketball coach in the 2023-24 school year and hopes to remain in that position until he retires from teaching in six or seven years, but wanted to free up his schedule in the spring so he could spend more time visiting his parents, John Sr. and Barbara, who live in Mesa, Ariz. "I've been coaching baseball or softball for 30 springs," he said. "I just wanted to create a little more time to do some things with my parents. "I actually considered resigning about four or five years ago, but I could never pull the trigger. I enjoy the game so much and it's become a part of me. It's hard to give up something that you love, but with my parents being in their 70s, it's really important to me to find some time to spend with them." Carmigiano, who also thanked his wife of 25 years, Christie, for her support, led the Colts to a 16-15 record and district final appearance in his last season. When he took the job in 2004, however, his primary sports knowledge centered around soccer and tennis, which he lettered in prior to graduating from Chardon in 1990, and baseball and basketball, which he played earlier in high school. "When they offered me the job, I didn't know anything about (softball) pitching," he said. "It scared me to death, but I said OK and it became this incredible sport that I love." The Colts didn't win any league titles in Carmigiano's tenure, but they reached the district tournament in 10 of his last 11 seasons. The 2023 team, seeded 10th, upset third-seeded Springfield 1-0 in the Division II, Northeast 3 District semifinals before falling 9-3 to seventh-seeded Holy Name in the district final. From a record standpoint, Carmigiano's best seasons were 2019 (20-9), 2018 (18-10) and 2016 (19-11), but it's the relationships he built over the years that he'll remember the most. "One of my favorite parts throughout this whole thing has been the eight spring break trips to Florida because of the impact it had on the kids," he said. "It seemed like every year half of them had never flown anywhere in their lives. We would just have the time of our lives down there getting to know each other and getting ready to play the season." Carmigiano, who played club soccer at the University of Dayton and earned his master's degree in teaching and learning online from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has done a lot more than coach sports since coming to Cloverleaf in 1998. In addition to compiling a 240-200 record as girls basketball coach, he serves as advisor of the student leadership team, drama club and Colt TV News, a 15-minute segment that airs once a week during the school year. Carmigiano also organizes freshman first day activities and is director of the fall school play and one-act play productions. "We appreciate all the years he's put into the softball program," athletic director Craig Walkup said. "Not only is he first class on the softball field, he's first class as an individual. We're going to miss having him around. Carm is dependable and works well with the kids. He does it because he enjoys it, but he's at that point where he wants to do other things. He deserves it." Cloverleaf's softball opening will be posted internally, where assistant coaches Blair Shimandle, who played collegiately at Georgia Tech, and Bethany Mitchell are possible successors to Carmigiano. If a suitable replacement is not found from within, the search will expand outside the district. Carmigiano will be around to answer any questions but doesn't want to step on the toes of his successor. "Softball was a big variation from basketball, and that's one of the things I loved about it," he said. "I loved managing the games and finding different ways to do things. I told the girls I loved them and would be there to support them in any way I can, but I just need to do things differently in the future." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on Twitter.