Coach Bios
Jerry Grasso, Head Coach
Jerry Grasso returned to Goldey-Beacom College after five years. Grasso was the head softball coach in 2001 and 2002. He led his team to a second place CACC finish going 17-3 and 24-9 overall record. In 2002, the Lightning finished 22-15, bowing out in the CACC playoffs with a third-place finish. In his short tenure, Grasso was honored to see his teams finish in the top five in the country with a team GPA of 3.415. In the two year span Grasso was honored to have nine players receive NAIA Academic All-American status.
Prior to coaching at Goldey-Beacom College in 2002, Grasso was the head softball coach at Padua Academy for nine years (1986-1994). There he compiled a 113-50 record, including four Catholic Conference titles and a Delaware State championship in 1994. After the 1994 season, Grasso became the assistant coach at the University of Delaware where he served many roles; his primary responsibility was working with the pitchers and catchers, outfielders, and recruiting. Grasso also served as the head coach at Mt. Pleasant High School and for the past three years as an associate head coach at Pennsville Memorial High School under veteran skipper Herb Bacon.
Grasso has been an active camp director and coach for the past 22 years. Since 1986, he has served as active softball clinician and softball camp counselor throughout the eastern seaboard. He has been a steadfast member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association since its inauguration in 1996. He currently serves on the Delaware ASA Softball Council as Hall of Fame Chairman and is also on the Midway Little League Board of Directors.
Grasso earned his degree in Health and Physical Education from Greenville College in Illinois (1984) and pursued a Masters Degree from Wilmington University (DE) in School Counseling (1997). For the past 10 years Grasso serves as a guidance counselor at Pennsville Memorial High School in Pennsville, NJ. Prior to working at Pennsville Memorial High School, Grasso was an elementary physical education teacher for the Diocese of Wilmington for 13 years. During which time he coached football, basketball, and softball at the high school level.
Grasso was a two-sport athlete at North Miami Sr. High School (FL), lettering two years on the varsity water polo and baseball teams. While attending Greenville College, he was a four-year letter-winner in baseball. He learned the game of fastpitch softball in the Bond County Fastpitch League from 1979-1983. After college, Grasso played for three years in the Delaware Semi-Pro baseball league for C. Wallace Insurance. Today, he is an avid slow-pitch player who participates on A-D level travel teams going across the United States, playing in various ASA/NSA/USSSA National Championship Tournaments; he also participates in the New Castle County and Cecil County softball leagues.
He resides in Wilmington, Delaware with his wife Judy of 24 years, and their two children Casey (15) and Peter (12).
Shannon Dubinsky, Assistant Coach
Shannon joined the Lightning coaching staff in 2002. A former Robert Morris College player (’96-’99), Shannon was an Academic All-American and All-Conference player. Shannon attended Padua Academy and competed on the ’94 State Championship team. At Padua she made first team All-State in ’94 and again in ’95. Shannon will instruct the infielders and serve as the chief hitting instructor.
Louise Blackwood,
Assistant Coach
Louise joined the
Lady Lightning’s coaching staff in the fall of 2003 as an Assistant
Coach. In addition to assisting in the training of the team, Louise
will serve as the team’s primary statistician and promotions manager.
Louise’s career as a statistician began at the early age of 10, when she
kept score for her father’s Babe Ruth Team. She then spent ten years
keeping score for her daughters’ Midway teams, four years at Newark High
School and then three years at Delaware Technical and Community
College. Louise spent two more years at Del Tech as an Assistant Coach
before leaving for Goldey-Beacom College.
Louise has served on
the Midway Softball Program’s Board of Directors for 5 years, and was
president of the Newark High School’s Booster club for two years. She
currently works as a Practice Administrator for Dr. Mark Glassner.