Milford's Emily Piergustavo begins coaching journey with Tufts softball
Emily Piergustavo chose her path well-acquainted with its curves, pitfalls and peaks.
Tufts hired the former Milford star as an assistant softball coach last week. She didn't know the coaching staff, but it provided the opening she needed.
"It was close to home, and I just went for it," Piergustavo said. "There wasn’t any rhyme or reason besides me getting into my coaching career."
She wanted to coach even while she was carving out a high-level college career. Every coach she had knew her ambitions and imparted tips and leadership positions to prepare her.
It began with her first coach, her dad Rich Piergustavo. Rich coached in college at his alma mater Eckerd College and Georgia Southern. He managed in the Cape Cod League and coached both Milford's high school baseball team and American Legion Post 59 squad.
"My passion in coaching came from my dad. My dad has been a coach for a really long time," Emily Piergustavo said. "That’s where the inspiration came. I always wanted to be like my dad. This is my first step in following in his footsteps."
While Tufts is providing Piergustavo her first coaching job, she volunteered at Milford last spring with her alma mater. Many of the players she worked with watched her win a Division 1 state title in 2017 and throughout her standout career for the Scarlet Hawks.
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"She made an immediate impact on our team being a volunteer assistant with us. She was such a tremendous help for us in the short time she came and volunteered with us but made such a lasting impact," Milford coach Steve DiVitto said. "They were eager to listen to what Emily had to say."
Not much has changed. DiVitto called Piergustavo a coach on the field during her high school career. She observed the nuances of drill from starting positions to footwork and understood their goal.
"She played the game the right way. There was never a day that went by that she wasn’t working her butt off to get better and help her teammates," DiVitto said. "She was an outstanding teammate as well as an outstanding player. She was always willing to listen, even when her way still may have been the right way."
That earned her a spot on UConn's softball team. She appeared in 75 games as a Husky, starting 46 of them. The COVID-19 pandemic canceled her sophomore season in 2020 after four games. That left Piergustavo with an extra year of eligibility and a desire to continue her playing career.
She called Saint Bonaventure coach Mike Threehouse, who played college baseball with her dad. He recruited Emily when she was in high school after her older sister Allie played for the Bonnies.
"Absolutely," Threehouse responded. "I wanted you here in the first place."
She started nearly as many games in one year in Olean, New York, (45) as she did in three in Storrs, Connecticut. Piergustavo didn't hit well but fielded at a strong rate laying third base and shortstop and made the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll in the masters of sports administration program.
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"She was a fantastic leader and a fantastic person. Knows the game inside and out so it doesn’t surprise me that she was going to become a coach after that," Threehouse said. "Any time you bring someone in like that new to the program for a fifth year you’re looking for some intangibles. I was hoping maybe she could come in and give the team a spark and a sense of here’s what it takes to win some games. I was looking for that edge, that spark."
He wanted her to stay in Olean even longer and coach there, but Saint Bonaventure didn't have a job to offer.
"Her softball IQ is off the charts. She knows the game really, really well," Threehouse said. "she’s going to be fantastic, any school that gets Em is going to absolutely be better for it. I’m excited to watch her career blossom."
Tufts will provide Piergustavo plenty of opportunities. The Jumbos went 40-6 last season and reached the NESCAC championship game and the NCAA Tournament.
"We were looking for the right fit. Emily played at a high level and understands the commitment that college athletics is," Tufts coach Lauren Ebstein said.
She'll work with the hitters and infielders largely, as Ebstein handles the pitchers. Piergustavo has already helped run camp and scouted on Long Island. The Jumbos will play a fall schedule for the first time in recent years, which will allow her to interact with the team even sooner.
Piergustavo was initially worried that some of the players would be skeptical because of her age (23).
"They’re great people. Coach Ebstein puts an emphasis on we want to enjoy the people we’re working with daily. So far that’s lived up to the standard that she’s talked about," she said. "The girls have been extremely welcoming tome. That’s been a breath of fresh air."
Coaching at the Division 3 level, Piergustavo also has a secondary position. She'll work with the equipment staff as part of the hoops crew taking down volleyball nets and setting up the basketball court to ease the transition between practices and recreation periods.
"She’s going into It knowing how challenging it is. It’s not an easy path. It’s a great vocation and It’s important, but it’s definitely not easy she’s going in with her eyes wide open," Rich Piergustavo said. "That makes me really proud. It also makes me happy for her that she’s gonna be doing something she knows something about. It makes me feel like I at least had some kind of influence on her."
Contact Kyle Grabowski at kgrabowski@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kylegrbwsk.
This article originally appeared on The Milford Daily News: Tufts softball hires Milford's Emily Piergustavo assistant coach
