Rams Welcome a New Softball Coach

New Canaan High School Athletic Director Jay Egan has named Danielle Simoneau to replace Larry Tomaselli as softball coach. Simoneau considers herself a vocal coach who is respected by her athletes.

"I'm not shy—you can hear me at games," said Simoneau. "The kids for certain can hear me, but I'm also their number one cheerleader. I love what I do."

Simoneau, who grew up in Stamford, now lives in Trumbull. She and her husband have three children: Ashley, 18, who is going to be  freshman at Arizona State University in the fall and two other children who are still in elementary school.

A former athlete herself, Simoneau has an impressive resume at both the high school and college level. She was an All-American pitcher at the University of Hartford and when she wasn't pitching she was playing the outfield. Simoneau was also elected to the school Hall of Fame as well as the Connecticut Hall of Fame.

In high school, Simoneau led Westhill to FCIAC championships in 1990 and 1993. She was also named to the All-State team in all four years of high school.

Although Simoneau has never coached at the high school level, she has an extensive background having coached for 15 years including stints with elite state teams. 

Currently, Simoneau teaches at the Julia Stark School in Stamford and is also a softball instructor at the Bobby Valentine Baseball Academy which is run by Rams' baseball coach, Mitch Hoffman.

There are high expectations for the Rams, who will have a majority of players back next spring including a strong nucleus of underclassmen.