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82 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 4 f a disciplinarian, being a motivator. That's how I think I am different from somebody else." They're traits she's hoping will help usher Purdue soft- ball into a new era. She's charged with the challenge of transforming a good program — one that's reached the NCAA Tournament twice in the last six seasons — and building it into a better one. And Schuette thinks her previous coaching stop at East- ern Illinois has prepared her for just that, despite the bump in competition level in the Big Ten. After playing for the Panthers, Schuette started her coaching career in California, always with the intent to re- turn to the Midwest. By the time she got the opportunity for a Division I head coaching job, a spot had opened at her dream school: Eastern Illinois. But she quickly realized over the time she'd been away, the program had changed. That's why she wanted the gig. "My No. 1 goal was to bring back the reputation of why I chose Eastern, why Eastern was a special place," she said. "I had such great memories on the softball field with the softball program. So when I had the opportunity to get that job back, that was first and foremost, was change the repu- tation and then by changing the reputation and doing those little things right again was how we became successful." Progress was slow, but in the final three seasons of her eight-year stint, Eastern was 104-52 and won two Ohio Val- ley Conference championships. It finished second the other season. Schuette was twice league Coach-of-the-Year. She's hoping to make a similar turnaround in West La- fayette. Already, she's starting to see glimpses of what the program could be, as players adjust to the changes. She's still surprised by reactions to her approach. After a 3-2 loss to Notre Dame in fall ball, she was get- ting ready to start her postgame speech and saw "fear" and "anxiety" in the players' faces. "I'm like, 'You guys, that was awesome.' They were just floored. Their mouths dropped," Schuette said, calling that game an early breakthrough for the program. Tom Campbell Schuette's well-rounded approach — a mix of fun, discipline and instruction — could be the change Purdue softball needs to push it farther ahead in the Big Ten.