There’s something to be said for being in the right place at the right time. New Jersey was a hotbed for ASA fastpitch since its inception in 1933 and the standards remained high for decades. As a teenager, Linda grew up in an environment of stellar players, coaches, umpires and officials, many of whom have since been inducted into the national and state halls of fame. Linda was mentored by USA Softball of NJ Hall of Fame pitching coach Elizabeth “Betty” Zwingraf, an influential, longtime Eastern Major Softball League player, professor, author, college coach and beloved pitching coach whose best-known student was Olympic gold-medal pitcher Michele Smith. During those early years of women’s Amateur Softball Association (ASA) competition, before the rise of girls travel ball, when Olympic softball was not yet even a dream and college ball was still in its infancy, aside from regular exposure to the highest standards of play in the country (and to visiting teams from Venezuela, Canada and Puerto Rico for annual Bud Light International Series), Linda was also fortunate to have attended pitching education sessions with Donna Terry, one of the first coaches in the nation who applied science to her teaching, when Coach Betty brought her to New Jersey. Donna played pro ball with the Connecticut Falcons, coached at Texas Women’s University and the University of California, and was a force behind the Puerto Rico national team “JC Dolls”, who often traveled to the NYC and NJ area to sharpen for the Pan-Am Games. Linda’s first ASA coaches were USA National Softball Hall of Fame inductee Margaret “Toots” Nusse and former Rockford Peaches pitcher/2B Millie Deegan, who is enshrined with the AAGPBL at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.