Wiley sisters form a great tandem on the diamond for the Ravens

(Editor's Note: The latest feature in a series on Franklin Pierce student-athletes covers the tandem of the Wiley sisters, Jessica and Jamie, who form a great pair on the diamond for the softball team. Morgan Miller sat down with the sisters to talk about how they push each other on the field and off the field.)

By Morgan Miller (FPU Student Feature Writer)

Jessica Wiley will be earning her degree in elementary education and American studies with a concentration in English this May.

Having athletic talent as well as success is something that every collegiate athlete strives for during their career. Not everyone is born an athlete; one has to go through several trials and tribulations to reach their athletic potential and even that sometimes isn't enough.

Sisters, Jessica and Jamie Wiley went through those trials and tribulations to become collegiate student-athletes. However, they didn't have to go at it alone. Along the way, the sisters pushed each other to get better, to work harder and to never give up. They formed a great team and today that bond can be seen as the two are teammates on the Franklin Pierce University softball team.

“It was never a competition between us, but a partnership of always looking to benefit from one another,” said Jamie.

Jessica is a senior pitcher while maintaining a double major in elementary education and American studies, as well as a concentration in English. Jamie is a sophomore outfielder and is pursuing the same major.

Born and raised in Cape Vincent, N.Y., their parents, Daniel and Karen Wiley, raised a very athletically talented family.

“I have always looked up to my older brothers as they have always been and continue to be great role models for my sister and me,” said Jessica.

Their oldest brother, Jacob, pitched collegiately at Marist College, where he received a degree in business marketing. Shortly after he graduated college the Cincinnati Reds drafted him and he is currently still playing baseball for an independent league in Arizona. Justin, their other older brother, is also a college student-athlete as he pitches at the Division I-level for Iona College. He is finishing his final year of eligibility after taking a two-year medical red shirt from a broken back.

The girls expressed that their brothers weren't the only factors in their successful softball careers; their parents were an amazing support system.

“My father is big into sports and was a catcher growing up,” Jamie said. “He had all four of us start baseball or softball at a very young age. Certainly, the long, countless hours of practice in the back yard and the long hours in the car to different tournaments, surely helped aid us all in where we are today.”

Both sisters started playing tee ball at the age of three and eventually moved on to play softball. Jessica started seeing a private pitching coach that her brothers also visited and her sister eventually followed. The trip to the pitching coach was a commitment for the family, traveling an hour and a half to Syracuse, N.Y. for an hour session.

Jamie Wiley is a sophomore on the 2012 team and is majoring in the same studies as her sister.

An hour-and-a-half car ride eventually felt like nothing to the sisters when they started playing on a travel softball team out of Albany, N.Y., which was three and a half hours from their house. Both girls continued to play for travel teams out of Albany until they entered college.

“We would drive three and a half hours to practice every Sunday in the winter and would travel all over every weekend in the summer with our travel teams for better competitions to prepare for college ball,” said Jessica.

Some may think that playing with a sibling on a collegiate program would be difficult. However, the Wiley sisters expressed that playing on a team together has been an enjoyable experience.

“Having the opportunity to play with my sister on the same collegiate team is such a wonderful experience. We have the connection many siblings do not have,” said Jamie.

Jessica also explained that playing on the same team as her sister almost gives them an advantage over their competition.

“We work out together, and practice together so when it comes to game time, there is no better team,” she said. “We are constantly pushing each other and striving to make ourselves better as individuals so we will become better as a whole.”

Both sisters have enjoyed bouts of success in their careers so far at Franklin Pierce and it all can traced back to the hard work they put into the sport on and off the field. During her freshman year, Jessica tied for the team lead in wins and tied for second in strikeouts. Her sophomore year, she made an impressive 18 appearances including 16 starts and led the team in ERA, wins, complete games, and opposing batting average. Jamie also had an impressive start to her career as she batted .272 batting in 35 games in 2011. Her on base percentage was .330 and her slugging percentage was .350.

The Wiley sisters are both extremely glad they chose Franklin Pierce for their collegiate careers.

“I love Franklin Pierce University and I couldn't have chosen a better school,” Jessica said. “I get tears in my eyes every time I think about the fact that I will be graduating in May. I have enjoyed every second of playing here.”

Both girls have the bar set very high for the upcoming season and hope to make it to the NCAA tournament.

“The program is working really hard, and I feel that people are going to see a difference in this 2012 team,” said Jamie.

Jessica also agreed that the major changes in the program will aid in an anticipated successful season for the team.

“We have a new head coach and assistant coach this year and they have turned the program right around. They are both doing a great job balancing practice, conditioning, and lifting so that we are all reaching our maximum potential which is really going to help us come game time.”