Assistant Coach Jaye Gaudreau
 | PERSONAL |
| Born: May 11, 1952 Birthplace: New Bedford, MA College: St. Luke's School of Nursing, 1973 |
Email Coach Gaudreau
| PLAYING CAREER | * Played in 11 ASA national tournaments |
| COACHING CAREER | * 1993-96: Volunteer Assistant Coach, Yale University * 1996-present: Assistant Coach, Mississippi State |
Beginning her ninth year as a collegiate softball coach, J. Gaudreau enters her sixth season as a Mississippi State assistant and her ninth as an assistant to head coach Kathy Arendsen, officially joining the Bulldog staff on March 1, 1996.
Gaudreau's duties include, but are not limited to, hitting instruction, recruiting coordination, all aspects of travel and the oversight of team academics.
"Loyalty and honesty are the two qualities that I admire most in a person," said Arendsen of her top assistant. "Her recruiting abilities and the relationships that she builds with prospective student-athletes is outstanding. Her dedication to this program and to these kids and to the dreams and goals that we have set for this program goes beyond the call of duty.
"She is very attentive to detail, follows through on things and I know that I can trust what she does. She cares about our players and cares about everybody involved in this program."
During the past three seasons with Mississippi State, Gaudreau has engineered a remarkable improvement with the Mississippi State infielders and outfielders. Due to her extensive work with the Bulldog players, Gaudreau's defense has steadily improved its fielding percentage every year in Starkville, including a program-high .959 percentage in 1999.
"Coach Arendsen knows what it takes to be the best," Gaudreau said. "When you combine her playing experience and coaching ability, it ranks among the most elite in the country. I believe that her leadership and experience has led us and made us one of the top programs in the country both athletically and academically."
Prior to her first year with the Mississippi State program in 1996, Gaudreau served three years as a volunteer assistant coach to Kathy Arendsen at Yale University. While at Yale, she specialized in skill development, strategy planning and base coaching, as well as handling administrative duties for the Bulldogs.
Gaudreau brings an extensive softball background to Mississippi State as both a coach and a player. She has 18 years of experience as a player on Amateur Softball Association (ASA) softball teams and, from 1975-1993, was a participant in 11 ASA National Tournaments. From 1984-1988, Gaudreau served as both a player and the skipper for her Rhode Island Hospital Industrial League team, leading it to three ASA national tournaments and a program-high ranking of 15th in a league of 45 teams.
For five years, she served as an ASA Certified umpire for the Blackstone Valley Umpires Association and served in that capacity when she umpired the 1995 16-Under Girls' Slowpitch Tournament at the New England Regionals.
During the past three years, Gaudreau has served as an instructor for the Elite Players Exposure Camp in Tulsa, Okla. In June 1997, she was the lead instructor for the USA Softball-Elite Hitting Camp in Chattanooga, Tenn. She also assisted with the MSU Coaches' Clinic in 1999, working primarily with fielding and throwing.
An avid cook, Gaudreau received her Nursing diploma from St. Luke's in 1973. Born May 11, 1952 in New Bedford, Mass., Gaudreau also enjoys all sports and is a popular speaker at numerous softball banquets, clinics and camps.