Longtime York volunteer softball coach George Tasson honored for his contributions to the team.
By Mike Miazga
Correspondent
As part of its senior day in mid-May at Rosemont Stadium, the York softball team honored its lone senior.
Meet York longtime volunteer assistant coach George Tasson, who has been an integral part of the Dukes’ softball program for 17 years under four different head coaches—providing critical behind-the-scenes expertise, from field maintenance to scorekeeping to being one of the players’ biggest advocates.
“All year long, George has been telling the girls he is the only senior on varsity,” noted David Wojcik, the parent of York pitcher Lauren Wojcik.
Just how valuable has Tasson been to the York program? All one has to do is ask the head coaches he’s worked with over the years.
Tasson is the brother-in-law of former longtime York coach Tom Babyar, who now is the head softball coach at Aurora Central Catholic High School.
“George enjoys it,” said Babyar. “He comes to every practice indoor and outdoor. He’s the guy that gets that field ready to play every game. The girls loved having him around.”
Babyar said Tasson also was key in keeping players’ spirits up during games and practices.
“George has a lot of common sense,” he said. “If a kid is feeling down, he’ll go up to them and talk to them. It’s almost like having a psychologist on the team. He knows the right things to say to kids.”
Babyar recalled a tradition where players—out of respect and not malice—would decorate the coaches front yards with toilet paper.
“They’d do my house and (longtime York assistant coach) Dave Williams’ house,” he said. “My sister (Tasson’s wife) sees the girls out there and asks what they are doing. George said it was OK. They were doing it out of love. I think the world of George.”
Former York coach Jenna Nolan (still a math teacher at the school) said the softball program might not be the same without Tasson doing what he does.
“It’s hard to put into words what George means to the York softball program, coaches, players and parents,” she said. “I don’t know that the program would be successful without George. Not only does he make sure the field is ready and safe for our players, but he always greets the team with a smile. He makes you appreciate the game of softball. George always can turn a negative into a positive. He reminds the kids that the game of softball is about having fun and working together with teammates. I would get so nervous before big games and George’s presence always was a calming factor for me. He has a way of bringing out the best in people. When I met George, he told me he loves being around to help the coaches do that stuff that otherwise would take them away from their players.”
Nolan is one of many who has seen Tasson toil tirelessly on York’s field at Bryan Middle School to get it into game shape.
“What impresses me most about George is his dedication to the players, coaches and program,” she said. “He will get to the field at 6 a.m., to make sure everything looks good. And if it doesn’t, he will work on the field for sometimes six hours so the kids can play. He’s one of the hardest-working men I have ever met and I know I could have never coached without him.”
Former York standouts Angela Scalzitti and Abby Solem both were promoted to the varsity team as freshmen where Tasson had immediate impacts on them.
“When I came in my freshman year I was so shocked at all he contributed,” she said in remarks submitted for the senior day ceremony. “My experience playing softball at York would not be the same without George. He has invested so much time into this program and his help never was unappreciated. I was very grateful for all that he did.”
Solem added: “Coming onto the team where I knew nobody as a freshman was pretty intimidating, but George always talked to me and made sure I was loose. He also volunteered so much time to our field, especially when it rained. He would spend countless hours of tedious and hard work to ensure we got to play. He was always thinking of us and that was the cool thing. He always had us in mind whether it was giving us gloves when it was cold, bringing us donuts before a Saturday morning doubleheader or simply joking with us in the dugout. George has been here through it all and without him there is no York softball. My experience in the York softball program would not have been the same without George.”
Current York coach Elizabeth Munn noted the unique fact that Tasson has continued his work through four head-coaching regimes.
“He has seen change in the coaching staff through the years and still has stuck around because what he does truly does matter,” Munn said in her remarks on senior day. “Geroge’s heart goes into what he does for these young ladies day in and day out. He always is the first one on the field before the girls. If there has been rain, he prepares the field for the games the night before and gets them prepped for the following day. All these things are for our kids to get the games in. If it wasn’t for George, it would be very difficult to get half our games in that we do. He will spend four to five hours during the day at times when we’ve had rain the night before to get the fields ready.”
Munn also had a direct message to Tasson during her remarks. “The young ladies you have coached also appreciate your hard work and dedication. Your role is so much more than scorekeeper, bookkeeper and field maintenance. It is being a coach, mentor and role model to all our young athletes. They see you day in and day out and see the work you put in so they can play a game. In addition, thank-you for being my personal psychologist and mentor through the season as we sit on the golf cart and drag the field. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart for everything you do for our program.”
Nolan added: “He truly is the heart and soul of the softball program.”
