Calvary Chapel skipper finds gold medal in coaching

But the opportunity she always wanted came after her playing days ended — mentoring young players.

O’Kelley, an alternate on the 1996 U.S. Olympic softball team, is in her third season as Calvary Chapel’s head coach. For her, coaching is as much about instilling values off the field as on it.

“I think that’s what my intentions were all along, that when I got done playing, I wanted to give back,” she said. “When the opportunity came for me, there was nothing I wanted to do more than to coach and share my faith.”

A coach who had a decorated playing career at Fresno State before joining Team USA might intimidate high school players still learning the game.

But the Lions have no trouble relating to O’Kelley.

“She knows the problems that we go through and she knows how the game works,” junior pitcher Jamie Schmidt said. “She passes on her passion for the game. You can see it in her eyes during the games (that) she wants to win, so it passes right to us.”

O’Kelley was a pitcher and outfielder at Edison High in Huntington Beach, Calif., before becoming a star shortstop at Fresno State from 1987 to 1990.

She hit .335 in her collegiate career, which included two Big West Conference Player of the Year awards and a first-team All-America selection in 1990. O’Kelley also helped the Bulldogs finish second in the nation three times. She was inducted to the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003.

O’Kelley was part of title-winning U.S. teams at the 1994 World Championship and 1995 Pan American Games before being named an Olympic alternate in 1996.

The wide range of experiences has given her plenty of lessons to pass along to her current players.

“Sometimes I tell them stories,” O’Kelley said. “I’ve kind of been in all the positions. It was kind of a bittersweet thing being an alternate.

“I have played, been a starter, sat on the bench. I’ve been through all the things that these girls go through being on a team. I think being able to relate to them from being at the top to the bottom is helpful.”

As an alternate, O’Kelley did not receive a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where softball made its debut as a medal sport. But she gained something more valuable.

“My gold medal is my son (Noah),” she said. “I found out the day of the first game I was pregnant with him. He’s my gold medal.

“It kind of put it all in perspective. You realize what’s important.”

Still, O’Kelley fondly remembers an international playing career that took her through Argentina, Australia, Hong Kong and Newfoundland.

“I was able to travel and see the world through softball,” she said. “That’s priceless in itself.”

O’Kelley gives her players tutelage and instruction, but also reminds them why they play.

“I got very frustrated easily, and she’s taught me how to have fun,” Schmidt said. “It’s become a lot easier for me. It helps keep my team positive.”

Schmidt, who is 6-2 with a 1.83 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 42 innings, plays a big role in the Lions’ postseason hopes.

Calvary Chapel (9-10-1, 5-5 Class 2A Southern League) needs only a doubleheader split at Mountain View on Friday to clinch a spot in the league playoffs.

“We’re obviously hoping to go to state,” O’Kelley said. “That’s what we’re going to strive for. We were a couple outs out of it last year. We work harder this year, and hopefully we’ll be there.”