In 1974, the Little League Baseball Federation Charter was amended to allow girls to participate in the sport. Since then 18 girls, including Mo’ne Davis and Emma March in 2015, competed in the coveted Little League World Series. For Salem State softball head coach Leanne Doviak, if that charter hadn’t been changed, her future may have been a little different.

Doviak, nee. Harris, grew up in Wilmington, Massachusetts a town around 22 miles from Salem State’s campus. She began playing baseball as a kid, but as she grew older, she realized it may be time for her to make a change.

“I started playing softball my eighth grade year for Wilmington High,” Doviak said. “I played Little League growing up. As the boy’s got older, it was time for me to make the transition to softball. I laughed in the beginning and told myself to just hit the big yellow ball which was a lot easier than a baseball.”

Her first taste of Salem State’s campus came long before she became a student-athlete. Her cousin was a women’s soccer student-athlete for the Vikings which meant plenty of road trips with her aunt and uncle to see her play. One of her fondest memories is stopping at Willows for some popcorn before the games. Ultimately, those experiences with a few others led her to attend Salem State.

“I was being recruited for Division I field hockey which meant I had to give up playing both sports and I wasn’t ready to do that,” Doviak said. “I always believed that the time management of focusing on athletics and school made me better. I loved both sports so much and was able to do that at Salem State. I liked that it was close to home. It gave my parents the chance to see me play and even now as I coach. Family is a big part of my life and having them be a part of my sporting career made it even more special.”

During her four years at Salem State, Doviak served as a field hockey team captain each year and was chosen first team All-MASCAC three times. On the diamond, she was a four-time All-New England and All-MASCAC first team selection and a four-year captain. She was a two-time recipient of the Salem State President's Cup Award, given annually to the school's top female athlete.

During the 2000 season, Doviak produced one of the best seasons in Salem State softball history when she compiled a .465 batting average, hit a school record and MASCAC-leading 13 homeruns and knocked in a league-leading 57 runs for that she was named the MASCAC Player of the Year.

After graduating with her degree in sport movement science, she went on to be the varsity softball coach at Arlington High School for four years. It didn’t take long for her to make her way back to Salem State.

“I was asked to be an assistant field hockey coach in the fall of 2006,” Doviak said. “The softball team needed a coach that year and I was asked to take over. Since I left, there had been several coaching changes so I was looking forward to the challenge of bringing Salem State softball back to the level it was when I competed.”

Little did she know that returning to campus would change her life in more than one way. Doviak met her husband Jason, Salem State’s Senior Associate Director of Athletics & Recreation, who at the time was an assistant baseball coach, during their bus trips to away games. The two are the proud parents of two children and Doviak considers being a mom “one of the best jobs besides coaching.”

Since she took over the Vikings softball program, Doviak was named the 2010 MASCAC Coach of the Year and led Salem State to the MASCAC championship and NCAA Tournament in 2010 and 2012. The team won a school-best 35 games in 2010.

Being a coach at Salem State constantly brings back memories for Doviak of her time as a student-athlete. Although it has been 17 years since she stepped on the field and diamond as a player, she remembers it like it was yesterday and has advice for those present and future student-athletes.

“Believe in yourself and the girl who first loved playing the sport. Give your four years all you have because you won’t get another chance like it again. Freshman year is tough, but it is worth the work.”

At the end of this season, Doviak will be moving with her husband to Alfred, N.Y. as he was recently named the Athletic Director at Alfred State College. Knowing this is the right move for her family, Doviak wants to remind her team and alma mater of one thing.

“My heart will always be with Salem.”