By Jim Hague
It may go down as the easiest recruiting job in collegiate athletic history.
Kelly Yusko (pronounced YOU-SKO) grew up in a small town in central Pennsylvania called Portage. She was a volleyball, basketball and softball standout at Penn Cambria High School, but when it came to go to college, she longed for the city life.
“I come from a farm area, a country feeling with all fields and all woods around my house,” Yusko said. “I was definitely looking for a school with a city area and I wanted to play softball in college.”
So Yusko started looking for schools online. She stumbled across schools in New Jersey, like Rutgers-Camden and then found Rutgers-Newark.
But former R-N head softball coach Patty Clarke was already familiar with Yusko.
“I saw her once when she was a sophomore and another time when she was a junior,” Clarke said. “The second time I went to see her, she really didn’t have a good game. I thought she pitched pretty well, but she said she could have done better. I knew she wanted to leave Pennsylvania and go to an urban setting. She wanted to explore a little.”
“I saw it online and it seemed to be like a good campus,” Yusko said.
So Yusko convinced her parents to take a recruiting trip to Newark. That’s just a little bit of a culture shock for country folk.
When Yusko stepped out of the family van upon arrival at R-N, she took one look around, saw the tall buildings and the surroundings and made a declaration.
“This is perfect,” Yusko said. “This is the right school.”
“When we arranged to meet, it was on a Saturday,” Clarke said. “She got out of the car and said, ‘I love it here.’ We walked around the campus and by the time she finished the tour, she said ‘I love it here’ again and I was so happy with her response.”
Thus, the easiest recruiting job ever. Clarke didn’t have to sell the school. It sold itself in Yusko’s eyes.
“The one thing I could say about her is that she’s loyal,” Clarke said.
“When I first came here, everyone was so nice,” Yusko said. “They made me feel so comfortable right away.”
Clarke knew that Yusko was going to be a solid addition to her program, but she could have never imagined just how much of an impact she would have on the Scarlet Raiders.
“I knew she was good, but I wasn’t sure how good,” Clarke said.
In Yusko’s second collegiate game against Old Westbury, she had three hits, including two homers, and six RBI. It was her first start on the mound and Yusko fired a one-hit shutout, striking out six. She was well on her way.
“I never expected that,” Yusko said. “Most freshmen don’t get a chance to play right away. That caught me by surprise. I had no idea what could happen. I was so nervous before my first game. I guess I did okay.”
Yusko turned out to have the best freshman campaign in the history of R-N softball.
As a pitcher, Yusko had an 11-8 record with a 3.55 earned run average and 84 strikeouts in 122 innings pitched.
At the plate, Yusko batted .484 with nine homers and 46 RBI. She had a school-record 59 hits and 29 runs scored. She helped the Scarlet Raiders win 18 games, the highest in Clarke’s coaching career, including 10 wins in their last 13 contests.
For her efforts, Yusko was named First Team All-New Jersey Athletic Conference.
“Even saying all that, she was awesome,” Clarke said. “She played multiple positions for us. She would do anything for us. I can’t say enough about her athletic ability. By the time she’s done, all of the school records will fall. But her personality is outstanding. She didn’t want to step on any toes coming in and she’s so humble. She’s a phenomenal teammate. She always picks her teammates up. I think we’re all really excited about what she’s going to become for us.”
Yusko knows that the future looks bright.
“My teammates always made me feel better,” Yusko said. “They’re going to grow with me. I’m excited about doing stronger and getting better.”
Yusko is majoring in chemistry with the hope of one day going to pharmacy school.
“I’ve always been a science and math wiz,” Yusko said. “I always wanted to get into the medical field, but I didn’t want to go pre-med. I always thought that I would like to own my own pharmacy one day. I like the idea of having a close personal relationship with my customers. I love to help people. It would be the best job for me.”
Yusko said that she had a bit of a tough time juggling the academic standards of a freshman chemistry student with softball.
“It was pretty tough,” Yusko said. “I had to go to practice early in the morning and have an exam in the afternoon. But so far, I’m handling it pretty well.”
Yusko plans on remaining in her new adopted hometown for the summer months to attend more classes to help her chances to get into a good pharmacy program.
“Softball has actually helped me,” Yusko said. “It keeps my mind focused.”
Needless to say, Clarke is overjoyed to have Yusko to work with for the next three years.
“She’s excited about the future and so am I,” Clarke said. “I don’t have to worry about her becoming full of herself. She wants to get better and that’s her greatest asset. Her poise is incredible. I knew she was going to be a good player for us.”
From the minute she stepped out of the Yusko family vehicle.
“It’s crazy how everything happened,” Yusko said. “I can’t be more proud of myself. It was a little nerve wracking at first, but I settled in. I really feel I can do better. This was only my first year. I have a lot to learn.”
If Yusko does improve on her freshman campaign, then that’s scary news for the rest of the NJAC.
