Field hockey celebrates overtime win against St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
James Hill|Courtesy
Field hockey head coach Ryley van der Velde has stepped down from coaching at VWU four months before the start of the 2025 fall season. This is a huge loss, as the team improved considerably under van der Velde. During her four years here as head coach, she produced six players receiving all-ODAC selections and an overall record of 22-30-1. In the 2024 season she led the team to their best record since 2005 (12-5), earning the program its first invitation to the ECAC Tournament.
To the players, the coaching change was a complete surprise, especially after the historic season they just had. “She said she had a four-year plan for the freshmen, so we were expecting her to be here for at least four more years,” freshman field hockey player Makenzie Short said.
While she was here, she formed impactful, tight-knit bonds with her players according to freshman Isabelle Rogers. “I wanted to play for her. She was one of the closest coaches I’ve ever had, and one of the best ones I’ve ever had. If I ever did something wrong, I thought I was letting her down,” Rogers said.
The coaching loss came after van der Velde decided to take the head coach position at Connecticut College, a Division 3 school in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) where she played goalie for all four of her undergraduate years. She was also the team captain for them during her junior and senior years.
VWU hired a new head coach shortly after van der Velde announced her departure. The new head coach is Baylor Baxley, who previously was an assistant coach for one season at Hood College, where she also played in her undergraduate years and served as team captain for two years before graduating in 2023. Along with her coaching at Hood College, she also coaches Maryland Legacy Field Hockey Club and the Metro Field Hockey Club, specializing in athlete development ranging from U10 to U19.
Baxley spoke about her goals with the Marlin team. “I plan to continue building the team upon the past successes, and taking this program to new heights including an ODAC championship,” Baxley said.
Even though the players expressed sadness about van der Velde leaving the team, they are all ready for the new coach and what they can learn from her to get better.
“Everyone was pretty sad when she said she was leaving, but we all seemed like now that it’s happened, we all seem a little bit better and more excited to take on the new head coach,” Short said. “I haven’t met her yet, but when I talked to her over the phone, she seemed really nice, and she seemed like she was trying to keep everything the same and get better. So I’m excited.”
The team plans to sustain the winning culture developed by van der Velde and improve themselves every chance they get, in hopes of adding their first ODAC championship to their belt under the leadership of their new head coach Baxley.
By Caston Christman
cbchristman@vwu.edu
