SLIPPERY ROCK — A team without a coaching staff.

Such was the case for the Slippery Rock High School girls softball squad after Dan Hindman and his two assistants resigned three games into the season for personal reasons.

“I thought I was going to have to coach,” athletic director Dan Follett said.

Little did he know that Slippery Rock had a makeshift staff already teaching in the school district, willing and able to step in.

Donna Lueken is a biology teacher at Slippery Rock High School, a former softball coach at Redbank Valley who played for her Air Force base team.

A.J. Motta, the Rockets' varsity boys basketball coach, was a volunteer assistant softball coach for Slippery Rock a couple of years ago.

Kat Eckstein is a middle school teacher with some softball background as well.

“(SR principal) Cory Hake is a former athletic director here and has been in Slippery Rock for 20 years,” Follett said. “He knows everybody around here. He knew Donna's background and that A.J. had helped out before.

“We approached those people and they have done a tremendous job stepping in on an interim basis.”

Lueken became the head coach, Motta and Eckstein the assistants. The Rockets won their first four games under the new regime.

Lueken is the wife of former Slippery Rock University athletic director Paul Lueken. She played high school softball in northern Michigan, and played a year of college ball at Nazareth (Mich.) before joining the Air Force.

She gave up coaching at Redbank Valley when she took the teaching job at Slippery Rock seven years ago.

“I remember leaving the school one Monday afternoon earlier this spring,” Lueken said. “It was a beautiful spring day ... I was involved in softball for a long time and could almost smell the leather from the ballfield.

“All of a sudden, I thought of what it would be like to coach again. Then I get home and Paul tells me the (high school) administration wanted to talk to me about coaching the team. That moment I took to take in the nice day, it was almost like a sign.”

As for deciding to take the job? The decision didn't take long.

“What happened with those girls not having a season last spring, I couldn't let them go through any more uncertainty,” Lueken said. “I was happy to step in and help out.”

Motta was thinking along the same lines — but needed to get the green light from his wife first.

“My wife is 39 weeks pregnant right now and coaching is a time commitment,” he said. “I helped out the softball team as a volunteer before I got the basketball job.

“When she gave me the OK, it was a no-brainer. I do it for the kids. These girls deserve to have a season.”

Lueken said the players have been unaffected by the change in coaching staffs, “though I know how passionate Dan is about the game.

“The girls have accepted us with open arms. They are very coachable kids. These days, with rec ball and AAU, doing other sports, kids are used to playing for different coaches.

“I couldn't ask for two more amazing coaches — and people — to work with than A.J. and Kat. We've worked very well together,” Lueken added.

Motta agreed.

“Everything has jelled and we've had success,” he said.

The Rockets are 6-5 with eight games remaining in the regular season, primed to make a playoff push.

Will Lueken and her staff be back next spring?

“I'm certainly open to that idea,” Follett said.

“I won't allow myself to think about that until this year is over,” Lueken said. “I must say, though, this has been so much fun and it'd be a privilege to work with these girls again.

“But there are a lot of high quality, potential coaches out there who could do a great job for them. I guess we'll have to see. I'm just thrilled with the way it's gone so far.”