In June, DePaul made a change atop its softball program, naming DePaul Hall of Famer Liz Bouck-Jagielski the new softball head coach. The hire came after a 2024 season in which DePaul went 9-39 (4-20 in Big East conference).

Bouck-Jagielski played at DePaul from 2000 through 2003 and was a Blue Demon assistant coach from 2004 through 2011. As an assistant coach, she helped lead DePaul to the Women’s College World Series in 2005 and 2007, as well as seven NCAA tournament bids.

Director of Athletics DeWayne Peevy chose Bouck-Jagielski after she made it clear she wanted the job, Bouck-Jagielski said.

“DeWayne had sent a text message out to everyone in the (DePaul) Hall of Fame to let them know that there was going to be a change,” Bouck-Jagielski told The DePaulia. “I thought he was just texting me, so I responded right away: ‘I want this job.’”

Bouck-Jagielski saw in recent years that in order for the program to get back to the top, she needs to change the culture. 

“There was no problem with the talent on the field,” Bouck-Jagielski said. “I would say I’m focused on culture and how we process failure.”

Bouck-Jagielskit says they have implemented a “seven second recovery system.” If a player fails, such as messing up a drill, they are given seven seconds to recover and move on from it. If they don’t, they are sent out of practice so that they can get themselves back together.

“(It’s) time for you to get yourself back together so it doesn’t take anything away from the team,” Bouck-Jagielski said. 

At each practice, Bouck-Jagielski also said she asks everyone on the team to say what they are grateful for.

“I had a (returning player) who I know struggled last year. She said in this huddle, ‘I’m grateful that I love to come to practice each day,’” Bouck-Jagielski said. “To me, I’m tearing up now. I’m so happy that they had that feeling coming to practice, because that’s going to get the most out of them physically.”

Even though DePaul struggled on the field last season, fan Alex Campos said he still enjoyed going to games.

Campos, who’s also a DePaul men’s basketball season ticket holder and attends women’s basketball games as well, said his daughter enjoys accompanying him to DePaul games of all kinds.

“She’s a softball player and really got into the college games last year after we went to one of DePaul’s softball games early in the season,” he said. “She loved the experience, and she loves DePaul.”

Bouck-Jagielski also updated him on softball scores and “was always upset when they lost,” Campos said.

Bouck-Jagielski has lofty expectations for the upcoming fall season and again in the spring.

“I think we’re going to get a lot more wins,” Bouck-Jagielski said. “I’m confident in that.”

She said she wants her team in the fall to play “fast and free without repercussions.”

“We’ll have our regular season, and then our postseason is the Big East. We have to win the Big East to get into the tournament,” Bouck-Jagielski said.

The goal for Bouck-Jagielski and DePaul is to win the Big East conference and the Big East tournament from day one, even after a 9-39 season.

In June, DePaul athletic director and vice president DeWayne Peevy said he envisioned the next softball head coach as someone “who could be here for the next 10-plus years.”

Bouck-Jagielski said that she feels grateful for the support from Peevy and his administration because it challenges her.

“It makes me dive in to challenge myself,” Bouck-Jagielski. “How can we get better? How do we get better recruits in? How do we manage this? What would you do with this money to further the program? (Peevy) has challenged all of the head coaches with, ‘What would we do with $100,000?’ What would we do with that?”

DePaul softball is obtaining innovative technology because of those exercises. Most teams use a wristband system for offensive and defensive signs. Coaches call out a number, and players look at their wristband to see the corresponding play/action with the number.

DePaul recently got new watches that players will be using for offensive and defensive signs.

Bouck-Jagielski said the watches act like the wristbands, but in a digital format. Instead of calling out a number, they just hit what action they want, and it appears on the watch.

“Can we program ‘Get a home run?’ or ‘Get this person out?’” Bouck-Jagielski joked, but on a more serious note added, “We’re always in a forward-thinking mode. To have the support of the administration is the difference with me getting Top-20 recruits on campus.”

DePaul alum, John Maniatis, said Bouck-Jagielski is bringing “a championship standard back to DePaul.”

“DePaul was a force in the early 2000s when she was on staff, and she knows what it takes to win,” he said.

Bouck-Jagielski, whom he and others call “Coach Liz,” said she is counting a common theme from her playing and coaching career — winning.

“We don’t know how to lose, and that’s not bragging, like our staff does not know how to lose,” Bouck-Jagielski said.

Associate head coach and pitching coach, Christina Sutcliffe, comes from Northern Illinois University, where she is the third winningest coach in program history. Assistant coach Abby Ramirez was a career .349 hitter in four seasons at Michigan. Michigan was 202-43-1 in Ramirez’s time there, as well as being the runner-up in the 2015 NCAA Women’s College World Series. 

“So to instill in them that we can win, they’ve seen us do it,” Bouck-Jagielski said. “We expect it.”

Related Stories:

• DePaul introduces Chris Holtmann as next men’s basketball head coach
• DePaul softball home opener ends in extra innings defeat to Georgetown, responds with series win
• Tracie Adix-Zins fired as DePaul Softball head coach after six seasons

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