Published: March 04, 2009 02:26 pm      

Lady Eagles set to teach coach new game

WAURIKA — This is one of those situations in which the teacher is being taught by the students.

Oh, Aaron Minor does have some background in coaching softball. In fact, the first-year Waurika skipper has already led the Lady Eagles to their best season in nearly a decade.

However, that was during the fall fastpitch season.

On Thursday, Minor will coach slowpitch softball games for the first time in his career, when the Lady Eagles open the 2009 season, with a doubleheader at Ryan.

“I guess practices have been going all right, but I don’t know what to expect when we start playing games, because I’ve never done slowpitch before,” Minor said, who had no qualm admitting he’s a slowpitch neophyte.

Fortunately, the new coach has some mentors on the Lady Eagles’ 11-player roster.

Seniors Kacee Daily and Kayla Salazar have played slowpitch throughout high school and both were all-conference performers in 2008. Senior Brittany Elkins has returned to the sport, after taking a season off last year, and junior Patti Armstrong has a couple years experience in slowpitch.

Sophomores Megan Lovett, an all-conference pick last year, Sage Perry, Kelsi Dennard and Maria and Fernanda Gomez have played, while freshmen Makayla Peeples and Ana Gomez were on the varsity roster in fall fastpitch.

They’ll be giving Minor some “pointers,” although he’s already figured out that slowpitch puts a premium on batting and defense.

“The girls are getting back in the routine of softball and they’re getting their timing down for slowpitch, because it’s definitely a hitter’s game,” Minor said. “Plus, you have to play defense, and I think we’ll be pretty good at that.”

Minor has begun figuring out slowpitch strategy, which allows a coach to take advantage of having a 10th player on the field and to shift defenders to select spots. He plans to “over-load” on the left side of the field, with Salazar at shortstop, Perry at third base, Daily in left, Elkins at a mid-field spot between left and center, and either Dennard or Peeples at the mid-field position between center field and right.

“If Kayla plays well at shortstop, I think we can have a good, strong left side of the field,” Minor said.

Armstrong figures as the front-runner at first base, with Ana Gomez or Dennard at second. Maria Gomez is the catcher, while Fernanda Gomez will log time in right field.

“It’s hard for me to say how good we might be, because I don’t know anything about the other teams around,” Minor said. “I know about some (opponents), as far as fastpitch goes, but I’ve never seen them play slowpitch.

“I think we could be pretty good, but this is my first time, so I don’t really know for sure.”