THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Whaley looks to continue the winning culture of Timberlake softball

Timberlake High didn’t have to look far to find its next softball coach. 

Jenny Whaley, an assistant with the Tigers the past nine seasons, was named to replace Casi Lupinacci, who was head coach the past 10 years. Lupinacci resigned following the 2025 season to take a job as counselor at Lake City High. 

“It is hard to lose a coach like Casi, who also happens to be your best friend, as she is such an amazing person that has done a phenomenal job for the last 10 years,” said Whaley, a teacher at Timberlake. 

“Jenny has been the assistant for a long time and works great with these kids,” Timberlake athletic director Catey Walton said. “She makes sure to connect with each of them and makes sure there is individual growth, along with team growth. The softball team has a great culture right now and we believe Jenny is the one who will continue that on.”  

THE BAR has been set pretty high with Timberlake softball. 

The Tigers have been to state 25 straight years, starting in 2000, the second year of the program. 

(For you math whizzes wondering how that adds up, remember there was no season in 2020 due to COVID-19). 

Mike Menti took over in 2000 and went 292-138 over 16 years, with 16 state appearances, including a second-place finish, two thirds, one tied for third (in a rain-shortened tourney) and one fourth-place finish. 

He then turned the program over in 2016 to Lupinacci, his assistant coach and former Tiger player. She proceeded to go 161-57, with nine trips to state in 10 seasons (remember, COVID), and one second-place finish, one third and three fourth-place finishes. 

This past season, with one of the youngest teams in Timberlake history, the Tigers went 17-5 and placed fourth at the state 4A tournament. They won the Intermountain League for the 13th time (all since 2005) and won the District 1 title for the 14th time since 2000). 

Now it’s Whaley’s turn.  

“I am really excited to take over a program that has been built so well by my predecessors, Casi and Mike,” Whaley said. “But really, this program is really an extension of a school that puts the needs of our students first and creates a place where they thrive and we see it in the classroom and in our extracurricular programs too. I have coached softball basically for 19 years now, and while I have been the head coach for summer programs I have been an assistant at two different high schools and so am excited to be at the helm now.”

THE FORMER Jenny Edinger played, and later was an assistant coach, at Lake City High.  

Her oldest daughter, Casey, played softball at Timberlake, graduating in 2024, and is now beginning her coaching career as an assistant with a local summer softball program. 

Her youngest daughter, Avery, is a wrestler at Coeur d’Alene High, where she will be a sophomore this fall. 

“Even though my daughter is no longer playing and my youngest is a wrestler at Coeur d’Alene High School, I still cannot walk away from the softball field because it is my happy place,” Whaley said. “We have some amazing girls that have come and are coming through our school and I see some more state contender teams in the near future. For me though, softball is all supposed to be about having fun; you are a team and it is one big puzzle of where to play people and which lineup is going to be a winner. Girls will play better if they are having fun and know that you genuinely care about their success. So you build the program around making sure the girls get the most out of their experience. I want them to learn the game inside and out and build a softball IQ that will help them in situations on the field. I also want to get more involved in our youth softball programs that are being built up again (such as Little League) and making sure younger girls come to our open gyms and start learning from an earlier age.” 

HOW DOES a softball lifer have a daughter with a passion for wrestling instead? 

“I wish I could make Avery love softball like I do, but she played in one game, got a hit and a walk and played right field and told me it was too boring for her, so she chose wrestling,” Jenny said with a laugh. 

Lupinacci is confident in handing the program over to her friend. 

“Jenny has always been an integral part of our program’s growth," Lupinacci said. “She brings not only a deep knowledge of the game, but also a genuine care for the athletes and a vision for where this program can go. The Tiger softball program is in excellent hands.” 

As for Jenny ... 

“I am just really honored to be the coach of these girls and look forward to helping build on the success of our program and capture a state title,” she said. 

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1205, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports.