Former Saints Softball Player Inks Semi-Pro Contract

Former Limestone College softball player Jennifer Casement Buttineau has signed a semi-professional contract with the Lucerne Eagles in Switzerland for the 2015 summer season.

A native of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, Buttineau becomes the first former player in Limestone softball history to play professionally. She currently resides in Barrie, Ontario, with her husband of six years, Derek.

Graduating with a Liberal Arts degree in 2007, she also attended the Teachers College at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Buttineau is now an elementary school teacher at the Scholars Education Centre.

While playing for the Saints, she posted 495 strikeouts in three seasons. Buttineau received First-Team All-Conference honors at the 2007 Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference (CVAC) tournament banquet. She had a 5-3 record and posted a 1.96 ERA in CVAC play. For that season, she led Limestone with a 2.99 ERA and had 10 wins. The Saints’ shutout record holder, she also struck out 125 batters her senior year.

“Limestone has always been my home away from home,” said Buttineau, who was invited to the Canadian National Team Selection Camp in 2014. “Since the first day I toured the campus, the Limestone family made me feel so welcomed. Having gone to school so far away from home, Limestone made it easy to feel like I was a part of something special. That is why I will be bringing dirt from the Limestone softball field over to Europe this summer. It will always be part of my past, present, and future.”

The Lucerne Eagles softball organization was formed in 1989 and won the Swiss Softball Championship in 1999, 2001, 2010, 2011 and 2012. At the international level, they captured the the women’s softball European Cup in 2002.

“I am very excited to play and coach in Europe this summer,” Buttineau noted. “I have the opportunity to play against some of best European athletes at the ‘A Level’ European Softball Championships. I also have the chance to develop and promote softball in Switzerland. It's the best of both worlds.”

Buttineau will be leaving this week for a trip to northern Italy for spring training and she already has her “Fight Like Jimmy” t-shirts packed. That campaign currently seeks to raise $75,000 to name the Limestone softball field after long-time head coach Jimmy Martin, who sustained a stroke in the summer of 2012.

"I have so many wonderful memories of Limestone softball, and coach Martin helped me become the person I am today, Buttineau said. “He taught me the value of attitude, effort, and integrity not only on the mound, but in life. Jimmy continues to help me improve my game and to push beyond my physical and mental expectations. He is one of the main reasons why I had the motivation to see how far I could take my softball career.”

Since his stroke, Martin has endured hours of rehabilitation and while he was unable to return to coaching, he is back working at Limestone as the Associate Athletics Director for Facilities. At the helm of the Limestone softball program for 23 years, Martin led his Saints teams to over 600 wins.