Coaches Corner with Softball’s John Gallagher
This is The ReSporter’s last Coaches Corner for Softball as we find out about the season that just finished.
Head Softball Coach John Gallagher
The ReSporter: What are some areas that you will wanting these girls to work on as we wait for their opening next season?
Coach Gallagher: “I want each player to work on the basics. Throwing properly, accurately with confidence, along with their hitting/bunting. The speed and agility workouts. I would also hope that we have many girls playing in the summer. This is huge when you can play softball for six months or more compared to three during the school year.”
The ReSporter: How do you assess this past year in comparing Regular Season vs. District Season?
Coach Gallagher: “The start of the season we played with some confidence as we went through each game and the tournament stretch. When we got to district we felt more pressure to win. We also had to be more mentally focused knowing we play just two games a week. I felt other than our first district game we had our chances to win. The thing I am most proud of, is this team never quit in any game. We had some tremendous comebacks and kept working. We seem to have one bad inning that doomed us in several games. Overall, this is a young team and at times we learned as we went. This squad practiced hard and that will pay off as we gain more experience.”
The ReSporter: It has been reported that Canyon Lake will have another pitcher next year ( a first in the short annals of Hawk Softball), how do you use more than one pitcher and what are some situations what would need to happen for those moves?
Coach Gallagher: “We have some players that have been playing for a few years and should be able to help our program. Having another pitcher will help Alexis by her not throwing every inning of every game prior to district. Alexis Robinson has improved over her freshman year in many ways and I see her getting better and better as we go. She is more than willing to help any new young pitchers next season to reach their potential and help our club.”
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The ReSporter: Last year, Canyon Lake lost some key defensive spots and this year, the Hawks seemed to take a step backward in their defense. What is an optimal percentage you are looking for when you put a team on the field?
Coach Gallagher: “Our defense was not as consistent as I would have liked. We tried several combinations but couldn’t find consistency, but to their credit each player worked hard to get better. We had some outstanding defensive plays made throughout the season but during district we had lapses that hurt us. We have a lot of potential going forward and I expect us to be ready for those challenges.”
The ReSporter: Could you give us a percentage of importance with the Big 3? (Pitching, Defense, and Hitting)
Coach Gallagher: “I think you have to start with pitching. It is the heart of any team and a good pitcher can dominate and hold a game close. I’m not sure what percentage goes with each because I feel you need to be close in all three phases to win and play well. Our hitting was the cornerstone this year an hopefully our defense will solidify and with good pitching, and a year smarter, we will be prepared to make some noise in a new district.”
The ReSporter: Thanks Coach for your help with game stats and we will look forward to next year as The ReSporter will be attending some Middle School games to get a glimpse of what might be coming along this next year.
