Alum coach, former player (now coach) reunite for fun softball scrimmage

Yes, you can go home again! That truth will play out on Friday when former ’Berg softball coach Betsy Hada and ’Berg softball standout first-baseman Bess (Artino) Guy reunite at Frann’s Field. But this time, they’ll be in opposite dugouts.

“I told her, since I’m older, I get the home dugout,” jokes Betsy, who coached at Heidelberg for eight years and is now a teacher and softball coach at Painesville City Local Schools. She and Bess, the softball coach and a teacher for Bellevue Local Schools, are bringing their respective teams to Heidelberg for a friendly scrimmage on Friday afternoon.

“We started talking about getting our teams together back in November when I got hired at Bellevue,” Bess says.

Betsy, ’01, coached Bess as a student-athlete, and the two coached together at Heidelberg for two years after Bess graduated in 2012. So, will it feel strange to be on opposite sides of the field? These two best friends say “no way.” That’s because the outcome of the game matters less than the learning and the laughter that will undoubtedly take place.

“We don’t see it as coaching against each other,” Betsy says. “We both thought it would be a cool experience for them to play on a college field.” Bess adds, “We want them to come away with a good feeling.”

In many ways, it’ll be a full-circle experience for the two coaches. They both had a hand in helping design Frann’s Field, which was completed in 2015 – the same year that Betsy guided her Student Prince team to the NCAA Regionals. Bess, a busy mom of three, plans to bring her kids to the game too, so they can see “Aunt Betsy.”

Thanks to the help and cooperation of Heidelberg’s current softball coach, Mari Briggs, and assistant coach, Erin Chapman, the logistics for the scrimmage between alumni coaches came together seamlessly.

“Mari has been wonderful to let us play on the field,” Betsy says. “We’re very excited about the direction she’s taking the team and the program.”

While on campus, Betsy’s Raiders team will tour the campus, dine in Hoernemann and watch a softball game. Bess’s Redmen team will return to Bellevue after the game because they hit the road for another road scrimmage on Saturday.

The late Frann Zverina, '74, the field’s namesake and a ’Berg benefactor, will undoubtedly be smiling on Friday afternoon for this battle of the B’s.

** Due to concerns for inclement weather, this game has been moved to Tiffin University.