Clarion Athletics

Cheryl Peterson, a 2003 grad of Penn State-Behrend and a coach with 14 years of experience on the bench, enters her fourth season as Clarion's head softball coach.  The San Diego, Calif. native was named to the helm of the Golden Eagles in January 2015.
 
The Golden Eagles went 4-33 in Peterson's second year at the helm in 2016, but showed fundamental improvement throughout the season.  Freshman Taylor Nonnenberg had a team-high 13 extra-base hits, including the team lead in home runs (6) and ranking second in doubles (7).  Pitcher Rachel Hoffman earned PSAC Central Pitcher of the Week honors on March 7 of that year after shutting down Bowie State and Elizabeth City State on the road.

Peterson came to Clarion from Yale University where she was the assistant coach for the 2014 season and was responsible for training hitters, catchers and outfielders. She was a volunteer assistant during the 2013 season at Yale. She was also the first assistant at York College in 2012, while spending the 2011 season as a graduate assistant coach at Penn-State Behrend, helping the team qualify for the AMCC tournament. She was a volunteer assistant at York in 2010 when the team posted a 36-9 record and reached the Capital Athletic Conference title game.
 
Peterson attended Penn State – Behrend in Erie and had a tremendous collegiate career. A four-year starter, she played in 127 career games, had a career batting average of .376 (135 of 359) with 76 rbi’s, scored 78 runs, posted 36 doubles, 1 triple and 38 walks. She ranked #4 in career batting average and hits, #5 in games played and singles (98), #8 in rbi’s (76) and #2 in doubles (36).
 
As a freshman in 2000 she played right field and hit .360 (27 of 75), with 17 rbi’s, 4 doubles and 19 runs scored. In 2001 playing left field, she hit a whopping .458 (33 of 72) with 19 rbi’s, 12 doubles, and scored 17 runs. She helped lead the Lions to become AMCC regular season Co-champs in 2001. Cheryl moved to catcher/DH for her final two seasons and continued her outstanding play. She batted .402 in 2002 (45 of 112) with 24 rbi’s, 12 doubles, 1 triple and 24 runs scored. She hit .300 as a senior (30 of 100) with 16 rbi’s, 8 doubles and 18 runs scored. She was the team’s mvp in 2002 & 2003 and a three time Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) selection.
 
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computing Engineering in 2003, she returned to San Diego and worked in private business, but also coached travel softball teams during that period, building her coaching skills, before taking her first job at York in 2010.
 
CLARION NOTES: Peterson achieved her Masters Degree in Business Administration at Penn State-Behrend in May of 2012 … she graduated with a 3.90 GPA.

 MORE PETERSON NOTES: After graduating from Behrend in 2003, she participated on a USA Athletes International softball team that traveled to Darwin, Australia. Once returning to the states, Peterson spent six years as a software development engineer for Northrop Grumman… During that time she gained extensive coaching experience with “Travel Softball” teams in California, including serving as the head coach for the San Diego Landsharks and the San Diego Power Surge… She also was the assistant coach for The Next Level in San Diego in the Summer of 2010, helping the team to a second place finish at the U-14 Triple Crown World Series.