Emily Vincent Is First Choice Intern for Softball

Former standout Cowgirl softball pitcher and current McNeese State University graduate student Emily Vincent is continuing her passion for the sport while also completing internship hours this semester as the women’s softball pitching coach for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Vincent, a 2016 health and human performance graduate, is currently working on her master’s degree in health and human performance with a concentration in health promotion. She played softball for McNeese from 2013-16 and helped lead the program to three Southland Conference regular season titles, one SLC Tournament title and one NCAA Tournament appearance. She was the 2016 Cowgirl softball MVP.

“After graduation, I was able to play softball professionally in Italy as well as for the National Pro Fastpitch and American Softball Association leagues here in the U.S.,” explains Vincent. “I started my master’s degree at McNeese in 2018 and I’m excited to have the opportunity to impact young student-athletes in the way my coaches did.”

Vincent works with the team’s pitchers to develop their pitch selection in an effort to improve their performance and durability and to assist them in recognizing the hitting weaknesses of their opponents. She also helps in the recruitment of players.

While the coronavirus pandemic has halted Vincent’s recruiting efforts, she says she is looking forward to hopefully seeing her UNLV players in the fall with health and safety measures in place.

“I hope to get back on the road in August, but until then, I’m working on new procedures to keep our student-athletes safe during training,” she explains.

Vincent says McNeese was her First Choice to continue her education as a graduate student because of the relationships she developed with faculty members in the H.C. Drew School of Health and Human Performance while earning her bachelor’s degree.

“H&HP director Dr. Michael Soileau and assistant professor Dr. Michael VanGossen were always available to help me and I felt like they truly cared about my success both on and off the field,” says Vincent. “It’s been easy to transition into the graduate program with the support of the faculty members.”

McNeese offers the graduate program on campus or completely online, which offers students access to a quality education and the flexibility to take classes wherever they live and on their own time schedule.

“Being a part of the coaching staff at UNLV and completing my internship there have given me new ideas about what I want to do in the future,” says Vincent “I have an interest in strength and conditioning, and with this internship, I have the opportunity to combine those two with my love for softball. This, in turn, has allowed me to adapt from being a player to a mentor. It’s rewarding to help others be their best on and off the field.”

Vincent plans to graduate in fall 2020 and continue a career in coaching.