New coach for softball
Photo Credit: Liz Dewell
Junior Hannah Morgan takes infield in practice.
Jack Cameron
September 20, 2009
Filed under Sports, Top Stories
“We have overcome some adversity, having our coach of three years leave our final year at Kelley. But, Coach Begnel is a great coach. He coaches us in a new refreshing way then ever before, he is also hilarious,” senior Katie Ellington said.
Coach Begnel, interim head coach, is substituting for Coach Joy Marie Galliart, who left suddenly before the school year and began coaching at Bixby.
“At first I was shocked that I was chosen to be head coach, but soon I was very excited to be a part of the softball program,” Begnel said. Although the girls were upset about Galliart, they seem to be adjusting to the new coaching staff.
“We are sad Galliart left, but we are enjoying Coaches Begs and Ellis as well, they are both very knowledgeable coaches. We have a lot of individual talent, and both coaches help bring that out into a team effort on the field,” senior Cassie Liotta said.
The Comets lost to Bixby, 3-1, on September 3.
The 2009 Lady Comets are loaded with talent, including a strong senior class: shortstop Ashlyn Bollinger, second base Cailey Dougherty, catcher Katie Ellington, and outfielders Allison Hefferan, Cassie Liotta, Denise McArthur, and Sam Partido. To complement the strong senior class, juniors Mary Kate Lowe, Erica Ransbottom and Hannah Morgan are also showing a lot of talent.
In pre-season, the Comets posted a promising record of 3-2.
“The team has a lot of potential, they are very close to being very good,” senior manager Jessica Foster said.
“We have been very competitive in all games, we just need to do a better job of closing games out and being competitive for all seven innings,” Ellington said.
All Comet losses have been by just a run or two.
“The girls have a tremendous work ethic, they continue to work very hard in season. We just need to improve our overall game and continue to push ourselves during practice,” Begnel said.
The Comets will be playing in the Sand Spring tournament tonight and tomorrow.