Arrival By Nick Cheshire “When we won that regional, we stayed out there the whole next week and played UCLA in the Super Regional, so I was gone for two weeks,” D’Amour said. “I used FaceTime a lot, and my mother-in-law stayed with my wife, so thankfully she had some help.” “I wanted to see him but I needed to be present for my team,” D’Amour said. “It sounds cliche but your players are part of your family and I believe that. It was hard when it was all so new but looking back on just how life goes, those two weeks went by really fast. Now, he’s eight months old.” Putting time in perspective has helped D’Amour live in the moment, embracing the highs and lows that come with being a new father. “I didn’t recruit much at all this summer, assistant coaches Mike Lewis and Doug Gillis did a lot of it and they did a really good job. I don’t think we missed a beat recruiting wise,” D’Amour said. This fall, D’Amour maintained the impossible balance between work and family, welcoming this new dynamic of being a coach and a father with open arms. “It’s hard to balance it because we practice in the mornings, and a lot of times I don’t get home until six or seven,” D’Amour said. “I try to wake up earlier now because Reaux wakes up early, so I can get at least an hour or so with him in the mornings.” With the transition to winter and the 2022 season approaching, D’Amour enjoyed his first holiday season with his son, soaking in precious family time before another hectic softball season. Continued on page 26 inside.hokiesports.com 25
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjk2NjE5