Rutgers-Newark Athletics

By Jim Hague

Sometimes an athletic team needs to have someone who provides all the intangibles, the person provides the necessary spark to give that team a lift when needed. 

With the Rutgers-Newark softball team, that person is senior Jackie Guas. 

“Jackie is our energy,” Rutgers-Newark head softball coach Patty Clarke said. “She understands her role as a reserve. She’s taken a leadership role. She makes up songs and makes up cheers. It’s amazing. She’s our breath in that sense. She’s the one who gets everyone going.” 

Guas doesn’t mind being the Scarlet Raiders’ cheerleader. 

“Being a senior, I know my role on the team,” Guas said. “I had to step up and help the team anyway I can. If it means making up a cheer or something, well, that’s just my personality. I’m very energetic and very upbeat. I’m probably more upbeat on the softball field. If my teammates are having a tough day, I take it upon myself to make sure they feel that they’re important. I absolutely have no problem being that person. I have no problem picking up my teammates on my shoulders. They can’t get mad and get down on themselves. I won’t let that happen.” 

Guas said that each player on the Scarlet Raiders’ roster has a certain song and cheer that she devised. 

“It’s just a little thing here and there that I do,” Guas said. “I just sing it and it makes them crazy. We get pretty rowdy in the dugout. Maybe, there’s a chance of a slight dance also being a part of it.” 

“We had conversations about her role and not only has she accepted the role, she’s totally embraced it,” Clarke said. “She’s just been a phenomenal senior.” 

But it’s more than just being an emotional inspiration. Guas is also a diligent player, one who is constantly working on becoming a better player. 

“No one works harder,” Clarke said. “She’s in the cage every day.” 

That’s because Clarke totally transformed Guas as a hitter in the offseason, turning her from a naturally right-handed hitter into a left-handed slap hitter. 

“She works hard on trying to put the ball into play,” Clarke said. “She’s still developing skill-wise.” 

The change has been hard for Guas, but she accepted Clarke’s recommendation to turn around and bat from the other side. 

“It has been pretty difficult,” Guas said. “Considering I struggled as a right-handed hitter, I knew changing at this point was going to be a challenge. I knew that I had to get in the batting cages every day if I wanted to excel at it. I had to work twice as hard.” 

Guas worked diligently in transforming her batting approach. 

“She was in the gym all the time,” Clarke said. “She’s a gym rat.” 

“I was constantly hitting off the tee, trying hard not to make it feel awkward,” Guas said. “It wasn’t my natural motion.” 

But a few weeks ago, Guas finally saw the change. 

“I didn’t feel awkward and I felt I was getting some power behind my swing,” Guas said. 

It couldn’t have come at a better time, because Guas has become the new starting right fielder, thanks to an assortment of injuries. 

Last week, Guas scored a run in the Scarlet Raiders’ win over New Jersey City University, the program’s first New Jersey Athletic Conference win in almost three seasons. 

“Last year, she was almost invisible, but now, you can see her importance to the team,” Clarke said. “She has a key role now. She has expectations for what she wants to see this program become and it’s up to other people, like the freshmen, to keep up with her. It’s really been a big transformation.” 

But her contributions go beyond what she does on the field. 

“She keeps everyone in the game and makes it all fun while we’re trying to be competitive,” Clarke said. “And now, we have people who didn’t make a single noise who are now getting into it. I think what she’s done has been crucial, because she’s created a sense of camaraderie that has to continue after she’s gone.” 

Guas, who transferred to R-N from Kean two years ago, will get her degree in marketing this spring. 

“I’ve been told that I have the perfect personality for marketing,” Guas said. “I want to do something in advertising. We’ll see what happens.” 

Guas came to R-N because she was once an education major, but had a change of heart about her educational path. 

“I then came across Coach Clarke and I just fell in love with the campus and the school,” Guas said. “It was really one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”