Northwestern's Joshua Zimmerman may have just been named the school's next softball coach, but that's not the beginning of his coaching career.

In fact, perhaps the more polite word would be coaching carousel.Zimmerman's versatility has allowed the first-year softball coach to have an impact across numerous sports at Northwestern. He spent the last two years on the Tigers' junior varsity baseball staff, while also being a member of the football staff since 2005.But with the change in sports, there is also a call to switch up one's coaching outlook. Baseball and softball may be similar-played games on the field, but Zimmerman realizes that he'll have to spend more time on certain aspects of the game when it comes to softball."With softball, there are a lot more nuances," Zimmerman said. "There is a lot more small ball involved, especially with the way baseball players have been in the past couple of years. They are amazing athletes, but a lot of it is just about pure hitting. With softball, there is a lot more bunts and things like that."In my opinion, there is a little bit more to prepare for, in particular situations in softball than there was necessarily in baseball."Zimmerman also spent five years under Jen Horner as the softball assistant coach, so he's not unaccustomed to the sport. Spending an ample amount of time on the basics is one of the key differences between the two sports."We spend a lot more time on the details," Zimmerman said. "I feel like there is never enough time in the day when there is a softball practice because of all those different elements that are involved in the game."When it comes to his football background, coaching softball is a completely different animal.Going from the most physical of sports in football, to one in which there is little to no physical contact, there is a drastic shift in coaching style. For Zimmerman, that change begins with how he channels his emotions."The biggest thing I would say, as a football player and a football coach, I get amped up for the game," Zimmerman said. "I do that for softball, too, but it's in a completely different way."You want those guys ready to go out there and really compete, go all-out right from the get-go and you want to play with a little bit of reckless abandon. With softball and baseball, it's a little bit more of a cerebral game where you have to think things through."Another obvious contrast between football as well as baseball and softball is the gender difference. Football squads also generally have dozens of more players than softball or baseball, which allows coaches to often have more personal relationships on the diamond."Especially with football, your numbers are going to be a lot larger, so it takes a lot longer to get to know the kids more on a personal and a one-on-one basis," Zimmerman said. "With softball and especially this yearwe have 22 girls total between JV and varsityyou're going to learn the girls' first names by the end of day 1 or day 2 at the latest."Regardless of if he is coaching on a baseball or softball field, or roaming the sidelines of the gridiron on Friday nights, he generally likes to keep his attitude the same for all of his players."My father, before he passed away, was the athletic director at Parkland High School," Zimmerman said. "When my brother went off to college, my primary care-takers were two women. So I've been around strong women my whole life. With growing up like that, I kind of take the same approach. I'm going to be enthusiastic. I'm going to be yelling, and that's just the way I was brought up. I know they can take it."