WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Stephanie Mock Grubbs bounces around the back fields at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches each morning with boundless energy. That might be the first thing you notice about the Astros¡¯ newest assistant strength and conditioning coach, but her knowledge and passion for her craft is what¡¯s impressed her new team the most.
Grubbs was hired in January to become the first woman in club history to hold that role, a major step in a career that has seen her work her way up the ladder through the college ranks. She could be putting down some roots in Houston, where her husband, Ryan, is the director of reconditioning and speed development for the NFL¡¯s Houston Texans.
¡°I think it's been a fantastic opportunity to both be in Houston, a great sports town, but just being able to support each other and really understand our roles from a time commitment, training standpoint and just how we can bring value to the team,¡± she said. ¡°Just supporting each other and understanding the commitment of just what professional sports entails, and I¡¯m new to it, so super excited to be a part [of it] and kind of use each other as resources, assets to build all things Houston.¡±
Earlier in the spring, Ryan Grubbs got to spend about a week at Astros camp before he had to return to Houston for his duties with the Texans. The two were married last July, and their jobs keep them busy with their teams at different times of the year, which is challenging for newlyweds.
¡°Our sports household is amazing, in regards to we¡¯re in-season year-round, so whenever we have family come to town, they always have an event to go to, whether it's a football game or now, a baseball game,¡± she said. ¡°We love sports. I'm from Pittsburgh originally, which is a massive sports town, but all things are in-season all year round. Luckily, I can go to his games, and he comes to mine, and we support each other.¡±
The two met through Clemson University senior assistant football strength and conditioning coach Dennis Love, who was on the staff with Ryan at Purdue University during COVID-19. It was during a Zoom call about speed training that he suggested to Ryan that he and Stephanie would be a good match, and the couple began dating.
¡°It kind of went from there,¡± she said.
Prior to joining the Astros, Grubbs served as assistant athletic director for sports performance at the University of Pittsburgh (beginning June 2021) after a stint at Mississippi State (2018-21), where she was director of Olympic sports strength and conditioning.
She also spent five seasons at Clemson (2013-18), where she started as an intern, before advancing to assistant strength and conditioning coach in 2016 and then assistant director of Olympic sports strength and conditioning in 2017.
A former college volleyball player at West Virginia University, she also spent time as an intern with the Pittsburgh Steelers, which was her lone experience with a professional team prior to joining the Astros.
¡°Even through the interview process, she stood out from the very beginning,¡± Astros manager Joe Espada said. ¡°The energy in the weight room, how she¡¯s gained respect and trust from the players because she reported early to Houston and she started to bond with the players, the veteran players, the younger players. Her perspective and ideas are pretty good. She¡¯s been a really solid hire, and I¡¯m happy to have her here in camp on our staff.¡±
Grubbs said she¡¯s had a lot of male mentors help her throughout her career, along with Andrea Hayden, who became the first female Major League strength and conditioning coach while with the Twins. She bounced ideas off her and has leaned heavily on Astros strength and conditioning coach Hazael Wessin.
¡°But one thing I've kind of always lived by, and I got it from a mentor a while back, is make it about the role, not about the gender,¡± she said. ¡°So I think just my job is to come in and do a great job in the role I¡¯m in here with the Houston Astros and bring value to the team and help us win a World Series.¡±