General | September 28, 2017

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan Division of Intercollegiate Athletics will induct the 2017 Hall of Fame class on Friday, Sept. 29, at the Fetzer Center. The inductees also will be introduced at the Mid-American Conference home-opening football game vs. Ball State on Sept. 30 at Waldo Stadium at 7 p.m. This week www.wmubroncos.com will take a closer look at each of our inductees:  Allen Hughes (football), Robert Louis (men's track & field), Ron Miller (wrestling), Casey Rost-Danzy (women's basketball), and Laura Stewart (softball).

LAURA STEWART
Laura Stewart, a native of Plymouth, Mich., played softball at Western Michigan from 2000-04. As one of the dominant pitchers in program history she holds single-season records for wins (23), complete games (29) and innings pitched (250). As the starting pitcher on the 2003 MAC Tournament Championship team she earned All-Tournament honors. Stewart is a two-time First All-MAC selection (2003, '04), a NFCA All-American Scholar-Athlete. She registered the third-most shutouts in a season with 11 and second-most strikeouts with 236 during the 2004 season. Stewart boasted earned-run averages of .177 in 2003 and .179 in 2004.
 
Q & A With Laura Stewart

Q: What was your reaction when you found out you were being inducted?
I got a voicemail from Kathy Beauregard and I was wondering what my former Athletic Director could be calling me about!  I called my friend, Marie Foster, who is currently the Assistant Softball Coach at Western and also played third base for Western while I was there.  She said she thought it might be about the Hall of Fame but I was thinking, No Way!  So I composed myself and called the Athletic Director and to my surprise she informed me that I was to be inducted into the Western Michigan Hall of Fame!  I was surprised and so proud to have been a part of the Western Michigan softball team.

Q: Do you have some favorite memories from your time playing at WMU?
I have so many great memories from playing at Western.  You become so close to your teammates that they truly become your family.  When we were getting ready to ride on an Indian Trails bus all the way to Florida we were actually excited because we all wanted to spend time together.  Even in those close quarters!  We played euchre tournaments, sang songs and made so many inside jokes that we still text to each other even now!  
 
We played against University of Arizona my freshman year and that is how I was introduced to college hitters.  Olympic great, Jenny Finch, hit a homerun off of me my first outing for Western.  It was a humbling experience, but I love that our coaches, Kathy Leitke and Jamie Mandarino, held such high expectations for us.  U of A went on to win the College World Series that year.  We had played the best!  
 
Winning the MAC championship in 2003 was an amazing experience and we had some very exciting games during that tournament!  Everyone played a role during that tournament and we really came together to achieve that championship!  

Q: Who were some of the people at Western Michigan that made your time memorable?
Coach Leitke and Coach Mandarino started coaching at Western my freshman year.  We were all new to the program and all trying to figure things out.  They made it an easy transition.  I was just a "preferred walk-on" based on a brief conversation with the former coach.  Coach Leit and Jamie never made me feel like I had just barely made the team.  Jamie had very high expectations for me as a pitcher right from the start.  They helped me develop my pitches and mechanics, but more importantly they made me more mentally tough than I ever thought possible.  They really helped me grow into a pitcher I didn't know I could be.  
 
Marie Foster was not only a fantastic third baseman, but also my friend and roommate.  Some of my friends who came to games sometimes referred to us as the "human rain delay" because Marie would come over between each pitch to keep me focused and make me feel supported.  We are still close and I am so happy she is the assistant to Coach Leit.
 
I had big ideas of going to college lots of different places, but I couldn't imagine going any further away than two hours away down I-94.  My parents and sister were at so many games, it was like I was playing down the street.  They were so supportive and I am sure some of my teammates can still hear my dad saying, "Two strikes, two outs, let's wrap up the inning" from behind home plate! 

Q: Have you kept up with the program since you left?
Luckily Marie, being my friend, gets me the inside scoop on how the program is doing and what has changed or stayed the same in the program.  I am always happy to see when Bear (Wendy Swinehart) live streams the games!  It is a lot of fun to watch the team play and know a little bit about their experience.  

Q: What has life been like for you since leaving Western Michigan?
I have been teaching for 12 years!  My first year was in Shanghai, China and the rest of the time has been in Charlotte, N.C.  My first year in Charlotte was in Union County and the rest of the time I have been teaching in CMS (Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools).  For the past 10 years I have been teaching at a Title I school (where at least 75% of students receive free breakfast and lunch) called Pinewood Elementary however, this year I am moving to a different Title I school called Shamrock Gardens Elementary.  I have taught both first and second grade and will continue to teach second grade this upcoming school year.  I enjoy working with low-income students.  Many of them need lots of extra time and attention to be successful, but it's extremely rewarding work.  I also still give private pitching lessons and help out with some softball camps!
 
I learned so much being a college athlete and I still use many of those tools either in my classroom or playing sports as an adult.  I play slow pitch softball and I met my husband playing flag football.  I even use my pitching change -up technique to throw cornhole bags into my Bronco cornhole boards!  I am so proud to be a WMU alumni, and it is an amazing honor to be inducted into the WMU Hall of Fame.  But that never would have happened without great coaching, an amazing defense behind me, a supportive family, and awesome teammates!