Jodie “Wise” Kormanski
Jodie Kormanski graduated from Tussey Mountain High School in 1989. During her high school years, she participated in competition marching band, basketball, and softball.
While she excelled in all, she had the most recognition for her softball career. During the last softball game of her freshman year, she asked to pitch instead of play shortstop. Needless to say, the rest is history and she was the Tussey Mountain pitcher for the remainder of her high school career.
She was crowned the 1989 Diamond Queen her senior year, amassing 121 strikeouts that year, 52 bases on balls, and opponents had a batting average of only .145 against her. Offensively, she had a batting average of .478 with nine extra base hits: five doubles, three triples, and one home run. The Tussey Mountain softball team was the District 5AA runnerup that year.
Over her high school career, she finished with 273 strikeouts, a career batting average of.346 with twenty-five extra base hits, including five home runs, and scored 89 runs in 68 games.
Jodie continued her softball career at Juniata College. During her freshman year, she had a record of 3-4 on the mound with an ERA of 2.55. At the plate that year, she finished with an average of 0.291, with two home runs, and she led the team with 13 runs scored.
Her sophomore year was filled with injuries, but she rebounded her junior year and was named to the All-Middle Atlantic Conference Team, ending the year with a pitching record of 9-7 and ERA of 2.30. She had the best offensive year of her career, finishing with a .510 batting average and according to a Daily News article, she led the Juniata College softball team in most statistical categories that year.
After college, Jodie began her teaching career at Chestnut Ridge as a mathematics teacher, where she coached junior high softball, varsity softball, and junior high girls’ basketball.
Returning to Tussey Mountain in 2001 as a teacher, she has built a career there teaching mathematics and physical science, while serving as the head of the science department. Her contributions extend beyond the classroom: she has coached junior high girls’ basketball, varsity girls’ basketball, and varsity softball, leaving a lasting impact on many students both in and outside of the classroom.
Jodie resides in Saxton with her husband John and their two sons, Jay T and Ben. When she is not teaching, she maintains an active lifestyle by going to the gym and walking outdoors. She supports all Tussey Mountain athletic teams and enjoys watching college softball games. She is also particularly passionate about watching her son Ben play baseball for Millersville University.
From her pivotal decision to pitch as a freshman to her years of coaching our youth to her current role as a mentor and department head, Jodie Kormanski’s journey exemplifies how passion, dedication, and excellence in athletics can shape a lifetime of achievement both on and off the field.
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