Ithaca’s Plue makes late college switch

Given her success in the circle at Ithaca High School, it was no surprise that Jenna Plue would go on to play college softball. Originally, she planned on joining one of the best junior college programs in the country at Herkimer Community College. However, last week, Plue officially made the switch to The College of Saint Rose, a Division II school in Albany.

The incident that sparked the mid-summer change from Plue was Herkimer head coach PJ Anadio accepting the open head coach position at Saint Rose in the beginning of July after he recruited Plue. Plue explained what else made Saint Rose a good fit for her.

“I’m very familiar with the area out at St. Rose,” Plue said. “I have a lot of family out there. So, making this switch isn’t too difficult for me because it’s kind of like my second home. [Anadio] was just like, ‘Listen, I’ve gotten this job offer and I would love to take you with me.’ That’s just a huge honor to hear from a coach. A program takes two years to build, so him asking me to go with him and wanting me to rebuild that program with him is very great.”

Applying to college a little more than a month before school starts can be difficult. Plue explained how she was able to pull it off.

“I was open with the coach and what I was feeling,” Plue said. “I always kept Herkimer on the backburner because, unfortunately, deadlines are a thing. But [Anadio] and the athletic staff were able to talk to admissions, and they ended up waiving my application fees, so I didn’t have to pay anything for applications, which I thought was really nice.”

Plue will move in for the fall semester Aug. 27 and now gets to call herself an NCAA Division II athlete. She talked about having that title.

“It’s still kind of processing,” Plue said. “But it’s always been my end goal. I’ve always wanted to play in the NCAA and be a part of that. Now that I actually get to do it, it’s definitely a surprise. I’m happy that I made that decision. It’s pretty good so far.”

Plue had outstanding stats pitching against Class AA competition at Ithaca. In her senior season, Plue was a part of two no-hitters and struck out 135 batters in 68 innings. She explained what, in her opinion, made her stand out to college coaches.

“I think it’s my curveball,” Plue said. “My curveball has a lot of movement. That definitely catches the eyes of some coaches. But also it’s not only my pitching, but just the energy I bring. I’ve heard countless times how positive I am for my teammates and how I have a presence on the mound, and that just draws coaches to me.”

Plue regularly pitched against tough competition in Section IV. Of Ithaca’s 15 games this past season, eight of them came against state-ranked teams. She talked about the benefit of the difficult schedule.

“It’s definitely a really good asset to have because you are facing these good hitters that know how to track a ball and know how to hit different pitches,” Plue said. “You just have to work those counts. You see these girls, and they’re going again, DI, DII, to go play for these really good programs. It’s just really nice to see.”

Plue has been hard at work all offseason to prepare for college softball. She pitches four times a week and hits three times a week. There are no off days for Plue when it comes to improving her softball skills. She talked about the work ethic that schedule requires and where it comes from.

“Some days, of course, like everybody else, you want to kick back and relax,” Plue said. “But it’s mostly from how I’ve seen the results from how much I work. Before my junior year, that winter, I really worked hard and I was able to see the progress that it made. Seeing that progress is just another motivation for me to just keep working more.”

With college starting in just over a month, Plue talked about what she’s looking forward to most at the next level.

“I’m very excited to meet the new girls and just begin this new chapter in my softball career,” Plue said. “I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing with the hard work and just try to grow that program and hopefully get some wins under their belt.”

Plue will be studying childhood and special education at The College of Saint Rose. While the schedule has not been released yet, her first game at the college level will likely take place in late February.

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