Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 27, 1995 TAG: 9504270027
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: CHRIS KING CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
Your prospective players sometimes don't know where positions are on the field, much less where to throw the ball with runners on first and third with one out. Making the task doubly difficult is the fact that there are no fast-pitch recreation leagues for your players to have previously honed their skills.
This is not a theoretical scenario. Auburn, Christiansburg and Radford high schools all are fielding girls' softball teams for the first time. So, you say it sounds like it has the potential to be some sort of ``Bad News Bears'' sequel? The coaches and players of these programs would have you believe differently, though each has absorbed growing pains.
"You don't realize how much you have to work on the fundamentals," said Auburn coach Anita Browning. "We have to develop the fundamentals every day in practice. We go over step-by-step processes: hitting, fielding, the rules."
Auburn was not alone in its emphasis on the fundamentals. Radford coach Carolyn Kimbleton echoed sentiments very similar to Browning's.
"In the beginning, the girls were so inexperienced that they lacked good fundamentals," said Kimbleton, who has 17 years of coaching experience, including 14 years at Roanoke Catholic. "At the beginning, we had to spend a lot more time on basic skills and fundamentals."
Just how unfamiliar with the game were these girls? Consider this story from Radford's first day of practice.
"We were going to hit ground balls and I told this girl [whose name will remain anonymous] to go to third base," said Kimbleton, with a laugh. "I finished telling everybody else where to go and she was still standing there so I said, 'What's wrong?' She said, 'I have one question. Where is third base?'''
Those days have long since passed for each program which, despite their varying degrees of success, are improving every time out and looking to the future. The Eagles, who have started the season 0-4, field a team that features two seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and seven freshmen.
Despite the winless start, Browning sees no reason for pessimism with such a youthful team.
"We have made tremendous progress," said Browning. "We went from not knowing anything to being pretty competitive right now. The girls have a very positive attitude. I couldn't ask for a better bunch. I think [the winless season] is getting ready to change."
The only thing the Auburn players could ask for was the opportunity to play sooner.
"It has been really fun, I wish they would have had it before," said Auburn pitcher Julie Bower, a senior. "In the beginning, everybody had a little trouble throwing and catching, but now everybody is pretty good. Every game we get a little better."
The Bobcats field a very young team as well. The Radford starting lineup consists of a senior, two sophomores and six freshmen, but, despite their youth, the team has a record of 4-6.
Though nothing can prepare a coach for a team that has no experience, Kimbleton feels her time at Roanoke Catholic helped prepare her for the experience. At a private school, there is more yearly turnover than at a public school, which meant almost yearly rebuilding for the coach. So, how does this bunch stack up with her previous teams?
"I have been really pleased with this group," said Kimbleton. "We see a team like Floyd and wonder if we can ever play at that level. With this group, I think we will be there in two or three years. These kids have great attitudes and are very competitive."
Christiansburg is the youngest of the three teams, with 15 of its 19 players freshmen. The Demons have progressed from the first week of practice, when it took an hour to take infield (it now takes less than 15 minutes), to being a reasonably competitive 2-6 squad.
"Our players are to the point they want to win every time out," said Christiansburg coach Kirk Litton. "They are over saying, 'Its our first year. Nobody expects us to win.'''
Like his coaching counterparts, Litton stressed that the mental part of the game has been one of the most difficult adjustments for his team, but he feels progress has been made. He cites three double plays his team recently turned as evidence of its increasing on-field awareness.
"The thing I am looking for every game is improvement," said Litton. "A winning season is a year or two down the road, but I am real happy with the effort of the girls. It takes offense, defense and pitching and right now we are only getting two of the three. When we put all three together, it will be exciting."
by CNB