California University of Pennsylvania Athletics

Tara Douglas was a three-year starting first baseman for the softball team from 1995-98 and a four-year starting hitter for the volleyball team from 1995-98.

On the softball diamond, she was a three-time all-conference selection and a 1998 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) First-Team All-American.

Showing promise as a freshman in 1995, Douglas batted .400 while appearing in 33 games. She helped the 1995 team win 48 games, a school record at the time.

In her sophomore season, Douglas ranked second on the team in stolen bases and third in home runs with five while batting .315. Cal U compiled a 45-5 final overall record and won the program's second PSAC and NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships that year.

Douglas enjoyed another productive season offensively in 1997, and she shone in the field, committing just four errors in 58 games. Her all-round consistent play helped the Vulcans win a school-record 34 straight games.

The season culminated with a memorable 11-1 post-season run that led to the first NCAA National Championship in Cal U history and the first national championship for PSAC softball. 

In the game that clinched the national title, Douglas made the final putout during Cal U's 2-1 win over Wisconsin-Parkside.

Nearly 20 years later, Douglas vividly recalls that unprecedented moment in school athletic history.

"I don't think at the time I realized the magnitude of it because we were trained to be so focused all the time," she said. "You knew what was going on and what was at stake, but it wasn't until after I caught the ball, looked around at people jumping up and down and realized it was ok to celebrate."

Douglas also remembers Cal U head softball coach Rick Bertagnolli saying something shortly after that game which resonates two decades later.

"I remember sitting in the dugout after we won that title and him saying this is going to pay off for the rest of our lives with different memories and situations and you are going to come back to this day and be thankful for it," Douglas recalled. 

"It's so true."

For an encore, Douglas led the team in batting during her senior season, with a .415 average. She also registered an impressive .986 fielding percentage. She was second on the team in hits (61), home runs (four) and slugging percentage (.551), third in RBIs (32), doubles (six) and sacrifices (six), and fourth in walks (11) and runs scored (27).

The Vulcans finished 47-7 overall that year and won their third-straight PSAC and NCAA Atlantic Regional titles on the way to repeating as NCAA National Champions. No Division II softball team has won consecutive titles since the 1997-98 Cal U squads.

"We had tasted it last year and I just did not believe we were going to settle for anything less than the same finish," said Douglas. "Several of us were seniors and it was just our time."

At season's end, Douglas earned her third-consecutive all-conference honor and was named a NFCA First-Team All-American.

"It took me a while over the years to realize my place and how to lead," Douglas said. "Each year I had gotten so much stronger physically and I think I was just at my peak. That year I fully grasped my role and am just so fortunate it all came together for me."

During Douglas's four years on campus, Cal U softball compiled a 193-22 cumulative record with a perfect 80-0 PSAC West mark.

Douglas is the seventh softball player from the national title teams to earn hall of fame recognition.

Bertagnolli, who Douglas called "second to none," said he is running out of accolades to explain players from that era.

"Tara was a big part of a special group that accomplished something that is truly remarkable," he said. "Tara and her teammates each day challenged and made each other and us coaches take things to another level.

"She accepted that challenge, got better and better and was an awesome team player."  

But one sport wasn't enough. Indoors, Douglas finished her standout volleyball career with 1,149 kills and 946 digs — both second-best in school history at the time. Those totals remain in the school record book, at seventh and ninth, respectively.

She helped the volleyball team achieve consecutive 20-win seasons in her junior and senior years after a 19-16 showing during her sophomore season. The 1998 volleyball team produced the program's best season in five years by finishing 22-8 overall with a 6-4 divisional record.

"Playing volleyball was awesome and challenging," Douglas said. "I really loved the game and the strategy of the game. I also really enjoyed being an athlete who was always in season. We had a very diverse team with girls from all over the world, which was cool and there were e a lot of opportunities.

Dr. Karen Hjerpe, Cal U's athletic director, was Douglas' volleyball coach her first three seasons.

"She excelled on the volleyball court as an all-around player that dominated as an attacker, as well as owning the back-court as a defensive player," Hjerpe said. "Her drive and determination as a multi-sport athletes are two qualities that helped her to excel at the highest level." 

Douglas, a native of St. Catharine's, Ontario, is a graduate of Laura Secord Secondary School, where she was named the school's Female Athlete of the Year five times. 

She earned her Cal U bachelor's degree in elementary education with teacher certification in 1999.

Since 2003, Tara has been teaching at Hillcrest Public School in Barrie, Ontario. 

"I wanted to study either speech pathology or education and Cal U had great reputations for both which really interested me," said Douglas, who said the late English professor Ron Forsythe was her favorite faculty member. "All the professors knew you by name and made you feel comfortable."

She lives in Barrie with her 9-year old daughter, Lillianna. Douglas is looking forward to returning to campus with her.

"Even now my family often talks about the stories, trips, and experiences that we all shared," Douglas said. "It means so much to me for my daughter to come see where I went to school and meet some of the people.

"I'm an emotional person and this really gets my emotions going."


updated 04/13/17