Binghamton University Athletics

50th Anniversary of Women's Athletics at Binghamton University

Profile: Kimberly Jacoby Kaplan '88, softball player

Brief: A native of Hamlin, N.Y., Kimberly played softball, soccer, basketball and volleyball at Binghamton during her collegiate tenure from 1984-88. She was an all-conference catcher who graduated with career records for RBI and slugging. Jacoby also was a two-time Binghamton Athlete of the Year. She graduated with a degree in mathematics and went on to earn her master's degree in theater from Binghamton in 1990. Now Kim Kaplan, she lives in the Los Angeles, Calif. area with her husband Michael and son Jason. Kim is an accomplished screenwriter and author. Visit her website here        




Accomplishments on Kaplan's Hall of Fame plaque
Jacoby played softball, basketball, volleyball and soccer but enjoyed the most success on the softball diamond.  There, she was a two-time captain and first team All-SUNYAC catcher who still holds career records for RBI per game (.98) and slugging percentage (.596). As a junior, Jacoby ranked among the nation's top 10 in three offensive categories — RBI (5th), doubles (5th) and batting average (6th).  She accumulated 15 extra-base hits and 29 RBI in 20 games, and produced a batting average of .492 and a slugging percentage of .873.  The spring softball accomplishments capped a busy year for Jacoby, who also played soccer in the fall and basketball in the winter. In her final collegiate season, Jacoby led the Colonials to the title game of the New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association Championship, where the team earned runnerup honors after a 14-win season.  She repeated as an all-tournament selection and closed out her senior spring with a school-record 30 RBI. She ranks among the top 10 in every offensive category. Jacoby also was a captain for the basketball team, and played that sport for two seasons.  She also played two seasons of volleyball and one soccer campaign. She was named Binghamton's "Athlete of the Year" after both her junior and senior seasons and also received the John Bilos Award in 1988.


Former Coach Mark Moyer ...
Kim's junior year was my first year coaching the softball team. She was one of only four returning players from a team that had only won a total of eight games during her first two seasons. With a whole new set of teammates, including seven freshmen and a freshman coach, Kim was needed to lead. Luckily, leading is something Kim does very well. As the starting catcher, she did a great job of leading the team in almost everything that did not include pitching. It would not have surprised me if she could have led in that, too. Kim's outstanding play continued into the postseason as she led the team to its first postseason win in history with a grand slam against Staten Island in the New York State Women's Collegiate Athletics Association Championship. In her senior year, she produced what was at the time the best statistical day in the softball program's history. In the first game of a doubleheader vs. Siena, Kim tied the team record with five RBI. In teh second game, she tied it again with five more. After the game the Siena coach told me something our team already knew, "With her at the plate, the runner on first base is already in scoring position." What they did not know, is that we counted on that. Kim was a leader from her catching position and her clean-up spot in the lineup. The softball program and I were both lucky to have had Kim to help lead the program at the beginning of what turned out to be a long run of success.

Catching up with Kaplan ...

What was your high school sports background and what led you to choose Binghamton?
I played four sports a year throughout high school, years 1980-1984. In the fall, I played soccer and then volleyball. I played basketball during the winter, softball in the spring. Soon after I graduated high school, my former school district changed the winter sports format. It was no longer possible for an athlete to play volleyball and then basketball, the schedules for those two sports were changed to overlap. An athlete had to choose one or the other. I did have to deal with playoff overlaps. Our soccer teams were always strong, so once practice for volleyball began, I would have to split practice schedules. Same thing for basketball. When we made the playoffs, I would split softball and basketball practice. As far as I know, I was only athlete in the area to play four sports a year for all four years in high school. How did this come about?
 
I went to Greece Arcadia High School (in Rochester) for freshman year. During that year, I met a junior athlete who was the varsity goalie (I was the junior varsity goalie). Later that year, she played volleyball. Then, during the winter, she played basketball. Finally, she played softball in the spring. Honestly, I thought that was so cool. I had been playing soccer, basketball, and softball since I was very young. I only began playing volleyball in high school because I thought the sport was interesting. And, that’s really how it was for me in high school. I just kept playing sports, even after I transferred to Hilton High School after freshman year.

In senior year (at Hilton), I visited several schools in the Western New York area. Buffalo, Ithaca, and Cortland. I remember the coach at Ithaca being a little standoffish. I also visited Binghamton. The softball coach at the time was Anna Martinez. She had arranged a campus tour for me with one of her players, Andrea “Pitch” Piccinini. I enjoyed the tour, a high school senior spending a few hours with a college sophomore. Pitch was friendly and cool. After the tour, I met personally with the coach. Coach Martinez made me feel very welcome. I liked the layout of the school, the fact that Binghamton was a state school (which pleased my parents), and the location, only three hours (driving) from my home. At the time, I understood that academically attending Binghamton was going to be academically challenging. I had decent high school grades (I was even a National Merit Scholar), but Binghamton had an exceptional reputation for academics. I realized I was going to have to work very hard. I accepted the challenge and chose to attend Binghamton. 
 
What was your perception of the athletics climate, in terms of opportunities, facilities and overall treatment of women's sports while you were here? 
I arrived in August, 1984. At some point (the memory is a little fuzzy), I began practicing with the volleyball team. Later that year, I played softball. I did the same thing in sophomore year. In junior year, I played three sports, two of which I hadn’t played since high school. I played soccer in the fall. In 1985, the Binghamton soccer team had just been elevated from a club team. Additionally, I returned to playing basketball that year. And, of course, I played softball.(In senior year, I only played basketball and softball.)


I several memories of this time:
 
*I remember the East Gym being designated solely for women’s sports. I don’t think I ever played basketball or volleyball in the West Gym. The soccer field and the softball field were also located at the East Gym. The softball field is now a daycare center. It was moved after my senior year to the other side of the East Gym. It remained there for many years. Having the women in the East Gym and the men in the West Gym…I suppose I just accepted that. That’s the way it was.
 
*I remember having to share buses with the men’s basketball team when we made trips to Potsdam and Plattsburgh.
 
*In my senior year, I had to drive one of the two vans we would take for road softball games. (We had three seniors on the team. I don’t remember why, but I became the designated second driver.) The softball coach always drove the other van.
 
*I remember my softball coach in my junior and senior years, Mark Moyer, preparing for our home games. Mark had a full time job. He would go to work at 5 a.m. on game days so he could leave work at around 1 or 2 p.m.. He would spend 1-2 hours prepping the field before his players and the opposing team showed up.
 
*Coach Moyer wanted very much to have his softball team play in a spring break tournament down south. As a northeastern outdoor team, we had to get outside as much as possible to prepare for the season. This can be challenging when the area receives so much spring rain. In order to take a spring trip down south, the softball team had to raise the money ourselves. Mark had his players work the concession stand for every home basketball game. I guess it was just accepted that we had to raise money for a spring break trip and we had to share a bus and drive our own vans. For a school without a football program, I guess that made sense to me at the time. We earned enough money to go to a tournament in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina during my senior year spring break.
 
*I remember playing with a Swedish exchange student on the volleyball team. I don’t recall her name, but I remember it as a cool experience. I had never met anyone from Europe. She was very nice and an excellent volleyball player.
 
*I remember there was no fence on the softball field until my junior year.
 
The bottom line is I never felt we were being mistreated. To me, Binghamton was a challenge academically. Sports came easily and I was happy to be able to earn decent grades, play all the sports I did, and enjoy a quality social life with some great friends (We remain, to this day, a tight group of friends, so that’s why I include this little tidbit.)
 
Women’s sports today have certainly come a long way…with a long way still to go. It’s so awesome that Binghamton is Division I! I have seen my old softball team play twice in the last three seasons (they’ve played spring tournaments out West where I live). I have had discussions with the current coach and it’s simply much different now. The player training, the equipment, and the fact that the team travels 3,000 miles to play in tournaments.
 
As you reflect back ... what remain your fondest memories of being a student-athlete at Binghamton?   
*Softball sophomore year. We didn’t have a huge team (something like fourteen players), nor did we win many games, but it was a great group of teammates and I enjoyed playing for Anna. There was a game that got rescheduled (due to rain) yet it turned out the opposing team wasn’t available (they already had a game scheduled for that day). Coach Anna was upset, and so were we. We had no game on that day, nor did we end up practicing. Instead, we went to a teammates’ house (she grew up in the area) and ate pizza and watched the movie, “Fletch.” If I ever see a rerun of that movie, I always think of that day.
 
*The state finals two years in a row for softball. We lost both times, but the games were close. They were played in Albany each year. We were so close yet….
 
*In softball, during our first trip to states, we were playing in our first game. I was a junior and having an excellent year. I hit a pop up that just barely went foul. I remember watching it go foul and then whispering to my bat, “thank you.” I think I gave it some extra juice because I proceeded to hit a grand slam on the very next pitch.
 
*Being a college student-athlete meant not only did you have to juggle school, sports, and friends, but it also meant traveling with your teams. Before college, I had only traveled with my family. Now, I had to stay overnight at a hotel with a roommate. I also had a certain amount of money to spend on meals. (We were handed money right before entering a restaurant.) I had to budget and I had to be a respectful roommate (both weren’t all that hard to do). For an overnight trip, I had to pack clothes, my sports gear, and bring books or whatever I needed to get some studying done on buses or vans. I had to be organized. I had to keep track of all upcoming quizzes or tests in all of my classes. If a quiz or test were to occur on the same day as a game, especially a road game when sometimes the team was leaving in the morning, I had to discuss this conflict ahead of time with the teacher. I had to be organized. To this day, I have very strong organization skills.

Anything else you want to share about the 50th celebration ... what it means to you to be part of this and the people who were influential to you?  
I am honored to be a part of the 50^th celebration. I worked hard during my undergrad years, both as a student and an athlete. Academically, I earned my BA degree, and my degree included the passing of the first (out of ten) actuarial mathematic exams. (One of proudest accomplishments). Athletically, all I ever wanted when it came to sports was to practice hard, play hard, and do my best to succeed. Give it my all. Become a top athlete and play with other top athletes. I believe I accomplished a lot playing for Binghamton. How to play on days when you weren’t quite right. How to cherish those games when everything went your way. How to block the important pitch to save a run. Dive for every ball in volleyball. Make that pass to your center who is open under the basket. And, how to be a backup goalie after ten years of being a starter, just because I missed the game of soccer. I learned how to be supportive of my teammates. I listened to their advice, concerns, and encouragement—on and off the field. I learned how to trust my coaches and try to execute what they asked of me. I had to allow them to see the big picture. I learned to do a job, trust my coach and teammates, and sometimes good things happen.

 
Can you provide an update on your life since you left campus? 
I have been writing ever since I arrived in California, while also holding full time jobs in the film industry. Currently, I work in child care for a local YMCA. I am a co-writer of two low budgets movie (“Don’t Fall Asleep” and “Safeword”) and the sole author of a short film starring Ed Asner (“Autism and Cake”). I have written four self-published books and one recently published biography (co-authored) called, “Remembering Monty Hall." I was married in 2001. In 2003, my greatest accomplishment made his way into my life, my son, Jason. It is cliché to say, “My child changed my life.” I guess I’m a cliché. My now sixteen-year-old son was diagnosed with autism when he was just a toddler. As parents of a special needs child, my husband and I have been laser-focused on helping our son every step of the way. Now a junior in high school, he is a good student in general Ed classes. He has a lot of hobbies and loves to travel. My son will not let autism stop him from trying to accomplish his dreams. To say I will support him for the rest of my life is an understatement. 
 
Many years ago, I turned my writing career and aimed it at autism. Two of my books are about our family journey with autism. I blog weekly on ModernMom.com and I attend conferences, meet with established autism families, and talk to new families. Autism is in our life, and always will be. I am committed to pay-it-forward. Our community tries hard to not leave anyone behind. 

My son doesn’t remember it (he was two at the time), but I was inducted into the Binghamton Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005. My husband, Michael, remembers that time. He was happy to be with me during this important event in my life. My biggest fan. My brother, Pat, and his wife and kids drove up from North Carolina to help me celebrate. That my brother and his family had joined me for this event means so much to me today since my brother died (unexpectedly) in 2015. I will never forget how Pat and his family celebrated with me. Additionally, my uncle and aunt also joined us. The night was quite a family affair. Of course, I owe my HOF induction to Mark Moyer, who advocated for my induction. Mark was present to induct me. I left Binghamton with Mark as a former coach, but more so as my friend. He remains so to this day.

I retired from recreational fast pitch softball in 2012. The pitches were getting too fast and the players too young! I never had a desire to play slow pitch softball, so that was it for me. I keep active athletically, however. I swim, run, lift weights, and work out. I believe it keeping in shape, moving my body. Exercising is a part of my life, hopefully for the rest of it.

I want to thank my husband, Michael, for his years of support and love. We met at a batting cage, so he pretty much knew right away how much sports meant to me. Luckily, he felt the same way. I’d like to thank my bubba, my son, Jason. He provides the meaning to my life. Always has, always will. I love Michael and Jason for their support, humor, commitment, and just for who they are, rock stars. I wouldn’t be where I am without both of them. My family was a family of athletes. My dad and my three brothers all played sports. All of the neighbors played sports. It’s just what everyone did. I had no choice. Turns out, I had the genes, the experience, and the desire to succeed well into my forties.
To my “genes,” the precious people who make up my birth family…Mom and Dad, Pat (I will miss you forever), Mike and Terry. Love you all.

I have “extended” family that mean the world to me. Two awesome sister-in-laws, Lynn and Wendy.  And, my amazing nieces and nephews…Claire, Conor, Jack, Nick, Peter, and Teri Grace!

Binghamton was a wise choice for me in terms of academics and sports…and friends. There’s a reason why I still have the same friends I met in college. There’s a reason why we still travel together as a group or chat once a week on our group text. These are amazing people and I still feel lucky to have them in my life… To Judy, Janice, Terry. Sue, Helaine, Pratima. XXXOOO