Penn State Beaver Student-Athlete Alumni Spotlight: Cole/Watkins

Ty Cole 
Corporate Communications 2018
2015-2018
Baseball

Ty Cole is a 2014 graduate from Carmicheals High School.  He attended at DII NCAA program before coming to Beaver his Sophomore year.  During his three years at Beaver, the team was 48-48 overall, 29-22 in the PSUAC.  The team won the PSUAC championship in 2016 and qualified for the USCAA Tournament.

Cole was a career .366 hitter who scored 31 runs.   He was a 3-time PSUAC All-Academic award winner.  He was named PSUAC All-Conference and USCAA All-American his senior season.  He is currently the Director of Development and Alumni Relations at the Penn State Shenango Campus in Sharon, PA.  He is currently working on his master's from the Penn State World Campus in Public Administration as well.

As the Director of Development and Alumni Relations for the Shenango campus, Cole secures financial resources to help support students and the campus community. He works with donors, volunteers, and friends of the University to keep them informed about what is happening at Penn State Shenango.  "I've traveled to twelve states to meet with Penn Staters since I graduated, and I'm truly grateful for the position I'm in now.", said Cole.

When asked what piece of advice he would have for current Penn State Beaver student athletes, Cole said, "Be more than an athlete, and get involved on campus! There is so much more to Penn State Beaver besides just being on a sports team.  Don't get me wrong, any sport you play at Beaver can be amazing and help you in the future! But Beaver is such a small and friendly campus it allows you to be involved in other activities that can help with finding a job after college. It could be giving campus tours with Dan Pinchot, working with Amy Gartley/Dr. Rizzo in Student Government, or working as a student worker in Athletics for Kirsch. Anything! Adding different experiences for your future resume will look great when it comes to graduation time."

When asked why he chose Penn State Beaver, Cole replied, "I went to a Division II school my freshman year to play baseball and transferred to Beaver my sophomore year. I knew if I came to Penn State, I could get an excellent education from an institution that is known worldwide, and I could continue to play baseball. BJ Bertges (Former Assistant Athletic Director) also sold me on a tour of the athletic building and some nice sunglasses."

And finally, Cole's fondest memory: "As an athlete, I really enjoyed the practices/off time we had together as a team. We had some pretty funny guys, and I just liked being around everyone. You could always count on Daniel Vanderslice for a good laugh. I will say, though, I'll never forget one game. We beat Penn State Dubois at home in extra innings off a Justyn Francona blast to left field. That game had some pretty memorable moments in it."

Ashley Watkins  
Psychology 2011
2008-2011
Softball

Ashley Watkins was a highly decorated student-athlete at Penn State Beaver from Fall 2008 until her graduation in 2011.  Ashley Earned a Psychology degree.  Ms. Watkins graduated from Seneca Valley High School and attended La Roche College before transferring to Penn State Beaver her sophomore year, after attending a Division III NCAA school her freshman year.

In the classroom, Ashley earned three PSUAC All-Academic Team awards.  On the playing field, she was a 3-time PSUAC All Conference and 2-time USCAA All-American.  She was the 2010 PSUAC Newcomer of the year.  In 2010 and 11, she was named PSUAC Player of the year.  She was also the 2011-12 Penn State Beaver Student-Athlete of the Year.  She was named to the first class of the Penn State Beaver Hall of Honor in 2019.

During her playing days, her team was just as successful.  The team was 79-42 overall and was 46-2 in the PSUAC over her three years of playing.  They were the 2009 PSUAC Champs, 2010 PSUAC Runners-up, and qualified for the USCAA tournament all three years.  In 2009, the team finished a program best 4^th at the USCAA National Tournament.

When asked why she chose Penn State Beaver, Ashley said, "I chose Penn State Beaver because it was a small school where I would get individualized attention during class and get to play softball for a major school all while being able to live at home and commute.  My favorite memory from Penn State Beaver is going to the USCAA's at Akron Stadium and being able to have the experience of playing in an actual stadium with cameras and fans and being able to meet professional softball players during the banquet.  My advice to students pursuing my career field would be to find something you enjoy! Dogs have always been my passion and thanks to Penn State Beaver Psychology program, I was able to gain the necessary tools to work with people, manage employees, along with the skills to be able do it all effectively. When you find something you enjoy doing or enjoy learning about, it makes going to work every day much easier."

"Ashley was an amazing student-athlete during her time here at Penn State Beaver", said athletic director and head softball Andy Kirschner.  "She was an amazing individual.  She had a lot of personal ups and downs during her Journey here, but you would never have known that the way she took care of her business in the classroom and on the field.  She was a leader of the team, not the most vocal, but led by action and backed it up with production.  The two things I miss most about Ashley are her attitude and her bat.  She was such a team player that loved the game.  She gave her all at every practice and every game.  The only thing better than her attitude was her bat.  I have coached softball for 19 years at Penn State Beaver, and through my years, I have not seen many players hit the ball the way she did"

Ashley is currently the Store Manager at Healthy Pets Products.