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Monday evening marked the delayed, but official, end of my softball coaching career as we celebrated the 2020 softball season at WGHS (Webster Groves High School) in two separate masked, socially distanced ceremonies in a (mostly) empty Roberts Gym, although so many parents who made coaching at Webster such a pleasure were there for their kids and represented so many who came before in previous seasons. I know that parents have sometimes created headaches for coaches, but at both programs with which I was fortunate to be connected (Hancock and WG), they were a blessing, not a bane.

I got to say goodbye to my last team, the 2020 WGHS-JV which overcame multiple obstacles and challenges to cram 13 games into 15 days, coming from behind in our last contest to defeat the JV of perennial power Lafayette 5-4 and finish with a 7-6 record. I’m as proud of that team as any I’ve had the privilege to coach in my 35 year coaching career. Going out on a win is all that any coach could reasonably ask for, and an exciting one, well, “Extra cherry on top, please!”

That didn’t end things, of course, as I joined the varsity for the state tournament that culminated with WGHS’s first-ever softball state championship and only the second women’s sport team state championship in the district’s 125 year history (of course, women’s sports don’t have that long a history [I remember when the “sporty” girls were shunted off to GAA club competitions.]). Of the 19 girls on our state championship squad, 17 had played for me in the program. Last night we unveiled the banner for the gym as well as the state championship picture. There’s also a poster in Webster’s Athletic “Hall of Fame.” 

Which means that you can find my name in the Halls of Fame in two different schools. For those who knew me back when (I started my teaching career 50 years ago), you are probably open-eyed in wonder, joining me in saying, as they do from time to time on TV, “Well, I sure didn’t see that coming!” 

I know I will miss coaching, I will miss my friends and colleagues, and, of course, the girls (as politically incorrect as the term may be, my former players will always be “my girls”), but I’m at peace with my retirement decision. It’s always a blessing to be able to control your exit from any job or stage of life, but 2020 notwithstanding, I couldn’t have scripted mine any better. 

So here’s my script (minus the inevitable ad libs) from the JV portion of last night’s ceremonies, plus  random pix from last night and the unforgettable 2020 season. 

About a year ago, and for me, if not most of us, I’m sure it seems much longer, we could have made any number of predictions about 2020, all of which would have been pure (wrong) guesses, but I’m confident that being here in Roberts Gym on April 12 to celebrate our 2020 softball seasons would not have made anyone’s list. 

But that we are here tonight to celebrate our successful 2020 seasons is a testament to the kind of young women who play Statesmen Softball. Despite the challenges and uncertainty, our dedicated players continued to not just show up, but to show up with purpose, to work hard during the seemingly interminable summer and fall. They were conscientious and mindful of the health and safety of their teammates and coaches – and as a coach of a certain age, I personally appreciated that. 

Every day they practiced as though their next game was going to be tomorrow – and then, all of a sudden, their next game WAS tomorrow. And the day after that and the day after that and…. Thanks to Jerry Collins, our JV managed to play a 13-game schedule, undoubtedly more games than any other JV team in St. Louis County. Despite essentially no time to practice between games, our athletes managed to improve daily, both individually and as a team. No team I’ve ever coached has done as much with as little opportunity, rejecting the myriad of excuses to just go through the motions, or has represented their school and community any better than our 2020 JV. 

2020 was definitely a year of transition, but thanks to the efforts of the young women here tonight, we can look forward with realistic hopes that 2021 will see Webster softball continue its tradition as a well-respected program. The young women who committed to the season that was 2020 can and should deservedly take pride in that; Coach Ashlock and I are certainly proud to have had the opportunity to work with you, and as I transition from coach to fan (although I’ve always been your fan), I know that pride will continue. Thank you.

Another Chapter Ends

 All good things must come to an end. If you’re lucky, you can choose your own ending. I chose my exit time when I left my classroom behind and now I’m choosing my time to exit the field. And that time is now.

Part of life is leaving it behind, and endings are always bittersweet. I will undoubtedly miss working with my friends and players. I have yet to address the nagging worry that with nothing to do that is exactly what I will get done. I’ll save the “inside softball” thinking about the decision and its timing for the end if you’re interested, but, if you know me at all, you know I espouse multiple causation and reject simplistic answers in favor of simply complicated. So it will not be a short section.

What I want to share today is simply a reflection on another aspect of my life where I have been blessed beyond what I deserve. I’ve detailed elsewhere the accidental/serendipitous path I took to becoming a coach, a path I’ve traveled for 35 years now, a path that has afforded me true, lifelong friendships, joy and purpose. 

And hope for the future of my community and nation. I’ve been touched by so many remarkable young women, been privileged to share a segment of their lives that reinforces my faith in humanity and the future. No matter what was happening in the world around me, I always had “my girls.” As politically incorrect as it may be, they will always be “my girls” no matter how successful and accomplished they have, or will, become.

Thank you ladies (and your parents), for allowing me to share with you this small part of your life journey. I love you all.

Why now? 

• Although not identical, the reasoning behind my departure from a regular classroom is parallel to my decision to give up my own classroom. (Click here to read that analogous piece.) 

• 2020 – For better and (maybe) worse, my style, such as it is, was up close and personal. I like to think my most effective coaching (softball and otherwise) came on the bus rides and conversations from the games. My girls tolerated sharing a seat as we talked about their game that day, and anything else that surfaced. Obviously, 2020 precluded that; we didn’t TAKE even a single bus. Close-in conversations were rare to non-existent. (I would be remiss if I didn’t offer a special note of thanks to my last squad for their compliance with masking; I took their care and concern personally and appreciated it accordingly.) While the thought of retiring had been percolating for some time, 2020 was certainly a disincentive to continuing.

• I was blessed to have been befriended by Tim Cerutti and to spend five years working together. Being in the same (age) cohort and sharing a philosophy of life and temperament made the relationship special. His death this spring created an unfillable void. Tim was actually the third coach/friend/mentor to die during my career, but I’m following his (and our shared) mantra of “Choose Happy” – my Rule #1: “You don’t get a discount on the Happy Meal just because you’re not.” But it just wasn’t as much fun without him. That was no surprise.

• Thanks to the leadership of our head coach, Bryan Gibson, and the commitment of many community leaders, Webster has built a softball program that expanded to 3 full teams even as other communities were and are struggling to field even a JV team. 2020 also shelved the WGBSL rec league this spring and the “Feeder” team that funneled girls into the program. I feel safe in predicting we won’t have sufficient numbers for three teams next year (I’d love to be wrong about that). We’ve recently added some new, young, female coaches who may represent the future of the program. It’s time for me to get out of the way and not block their development and connection with the program.

• My wife and I have things we want to do and places we want to go that are best done either during the Fall softball season or the Summer pre-season. Not that we didn’t know it before, but 2020 has reinforced doing what you can while you are still physically able. 

• We’ve been making a conscious effort to de-junk, even before the inspiration of the COVID-quarantine. I’ll be passing along most of my coaching wardrobe, thus freeing up significant closet/storage space, because Bryan Gibson and WG always reinforced the belief that looking good was part of good performance). 

• But mostly I’m tired, struggling to summon the energy the prepare for games and practices. To be clear, it was never the kids, never the parents, never the administration, never the varsity or JV coaching staff that wore me out; on the contrary, it was those groups that energized me to continue as long as I did. In many ways this was the longest short season, but even last year Tim and I both were forced to admit that our energies were not always sufficient to meet the demands to do the job in a way that would live up to our standards. As those who know me can attest, modesty is not a dominant quality for me. I know what I can bring to the party on any given day. While I might fool some people with my 80%, it’s not good enough, not good enough for me to be satisfied and continue. Even if I still have (or ever had) an “A Game,” I can’t always bring it. Time to move aside.

I may not have been all that mindful when I started the job, but the least I can do is make a mindful decision about when it’s time to go. So it’s time to say good-bye, and thank you, thank you for 35 years and close to 50 different teams in two school districts, Hancock Place and Webster Groves.

Apropos of nothing, as I typed this I realized that every school with which I have been regularly associated had at least two names.

#Blessed.

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Final Thoughts (Softball Banquet Script)

I know that the coaching staff went into this season thinking that last year would be difficult, if not impossible, to match. Not in terms of wins and losses, so much, although that task was daunting enough, but in terms of team chemistry and cohesion. While every team is unique, of course, the sophomores of this year modeled the sophomores of our 17 squad (who, in turn, had the models from 16 to follow) and built a team that was, day in and day out, a pleasure to coach and work with. Oh, and we won 20 games again, so that was cool, too. As always, your players were blessed with an incredible group of coaches, including the varsity and Orange; thanks, also, to Coach Collins for his support of the program on all three levels. I especially want to thank Coach Cerutti, Coach Knapp, and our spirit guide, Coach Wylie, for making this job such a pleasure. I’ll remember these seasons after they stick me in the home for retired coaches.

Many of this year’s freshmen will have the responsibility to continue that leadership trend in 2019. And let’s just say we are confident that they can live up to those expectations from their coaches. We’ll be announcing some of the individual awards as we wander through our roster, but all of those were close votes with at least 3 contenders for each. I think that speaks well of both the depth of our squad and the respect the girls have for their teammates.

• Emmy Gary had a solid rookie year, splitting time between 1B and the OF and we’re looking forward to seeing her grow as a player. Emmy has made the commitment to up her game with a strong team for the spring and summer and the coaches are looking forward to seeing how much an already strong player improves.

• Our Rookie of the Year was our third baseman, Myah King, who set a couple records, including most HRs in a season (6, including 5 that cleared the fence; that number also ties the JV career record set by Anna Whelan in her two JV years, and not coincidentally, intentional walks, also 6).

• Fortunately for us, that intentional walk strategy was frequently foiled by our catcher, Nora Marcinkiewicz, who thanks to all those runners Myah wasn’t allowed to drive in, lead our team in RBI with 38 in our 22 games. But Nora also did a great job of field leadership, working not only with our pitchers but our entire team.

• Our OF defense was anchored by Venus (Flytrap) Moran in CF. Alyssa was a one-woman Web Gem show and taught me not to mark the scorecard too soon lest I have to scratch out the hit and mark in an “8.” Oh, and she hit .550 with 7 triples.

• Our own José Oquendo (except she hit better) was Taylor Smith who can, and frequently did, play everywhere. That flexibility was crucial when we were bitten by the injury bug. The question, “Well, now who’s going to play that position” always involved Taylor, whose bat also grew stronger as the season progressed as she hit over .500 and averaged an OBP of 67%.

• Finally, Zoe Weik kind of got cheated out of her freshman season by an Astroturf hop at Fox that put her on concussion protocol and out with cracked eye orbit. Remember that the next time you roll your eyes at an OF with a mask. Bad hops happen, and not just on turf. Right Noel? Fortunately for Zoe and us she was able to return in time for the Hancock Tournament and share in our 5^th consecutive first-place trophy.

Which brings us to our third straight group of amazing sophomores who, every year, take a group of girls and help them bond into a team. Two years ago Julia and AP were a key part of that core. Last year it was Maya, Megan, JP, Rebekah and Noel. This year it was….

• Lydia Beggs who played some third, first and DP in addition to her leadership role. Like her sophomore teammates, she modeled playing the game the right way, working hard all the time, (and overtime) and putting her team – and teammates – first. She also hit .350, not too shabby.

• Caitlyn, Speed Racer, Boyle took on the challenge of joining the team as a sophomore and coming back from an injury at the same time. As injuries mounted her role expanded and her skills increased as she developed into an accomplished slapper/bunter and hustling defender in RF. Coach Cerutti, Coach Wylie, and I marveled at how she was able to back up throws from an IF BEFORE it hit the fence! Oh, in addition to batting over .600, she also set the JV record for SBs with 39.

• My girl Friday, (Taylor Graning) who has gamely put up with my penchant for creating nicknames, also saw her role expand as the season progressed and finished the season as our regular 2B, where she made only 3 errors and had a fielding % of about .950. She also clearly demonstrated that she understands the concept of team and lent both her softball and leadership skills to JV Orange on numerous occasions when they were short-handed.

• It speaks to the depth of our team that TK, Taylor Knapp (we had enough tailors to open our own shop) was not a unanimous choice for team MVP. But she clearly WAS the choice as she wrote her name in the JV Statesmen record books, setting the standard for wins in a season (17) and a career (28), eclipsing Olivia Collins’s marks. TK’s love for the game and her teammates were just as valuable as her skills in the circle. I often quote Douglas Adams’s admonition from HGTG, “Don’t Panic,” and TK’s calmness in the circle embodies that and keeps the wheels from coming off.

• Nic Rikand saw her role change this year and I can’t tell you (well, obviously I can and now will) how much respect she earned from the coaching staff. With her fellow sophomores she was not just a great teammate, but a great leader, no matter where she was playing in the field. She took charge and helped keep us focused, game after game, and gave us 100% effort, every inning, every AB.

• Finally we come to our last sophomore leader, Sarah “Sockeye” Sammon. Leadership is never an easy task, because true leaders lead with actions, not just words (although words do matter). It’s easier, of course, when you’re in the limelight or always on the field. It’s much more of a challenge when you could be (rightfully) frustrated by a limited role, when you want to be doing more than you’re too often given the chance to do. That is so hard, and so important, that over a decade ago we even created what I think is our most important award, originally named for Jennifer Matthews and Casey Murphey, to honor that kind of leadership. The players who have earned this award have all gone on to success and I am as proud of each of them as any players I have ever coached. Congratulations, Sarah, on joining that admirable and exclusive sorority.

Closing the Books on 2018

Season Wrap Up --

After the records we set in 2017, including most wins (22) and winning percentage, it occurred to me that I should seriously think about retiring. How could any team do any better? Yet, to my surprise, the 2018 squad threatened to do exactly that. Were it not for a tough loss to Kirkwood to end the season, we would have set a new winning percentage record. Although that was not to be, 2018 was another magical season, complete with two 10-game winning streaks and an overall 20-2 record.

Highlights included an exciting 3^rd place finish in the Ft. Zumwalt West Tournament, despite playing short-handed and losing only to the eventual champion; we had easily vanquished the second place finisher, Summit, earlier in the week. Our fifth straight Hancock championship lacked the drama of last year’s final, but was nonetheless satisfying as we again played without a key player. Taylor Knapp set records for most wins by a JV pitcher in both a season (17) and career (26), Caitlyn Boyle notched a new stolen base mark with 39, and Myah King pounded six (6!) homeruns, five of which cleared fences in four different ballparks (she also was walked intentionally five times).

All those stats, and more, are available below. As usual, I have also included those of previous years for those who think that’s important. I’m a fan of the Impressionist School, so JV statistics offer little more than a fuzzy replication of the season because programs vary wildly from year to year. But what is clear is that the Webster program is successfully bringing in players every year that can help our varsity program successfully compete with other schools. It was my pleasure to have coached both graduating seniors, Julia Love and Allison Peters, from our 2018 varsity District Champion squad – I’m proud of the athletes they are, but even prouder of the young women who do such a magnificent job of representing their team, their school and their community.

This piece will look familiar to sophomore parents because (full disclosure) it’s mostly copied from last year’s season-ending entry (again!). But despite protests to the contrary from some quarters, truth is truth.


We do, of course, set expectations for our program, but those expectations have nothing to do with wins, losses, or any other statistics. However, our goals are fairly consistent from year to year:

     1 – There should be a noticeable improvement in each girl’s game from the first practice in August to the last game in October.

     2 – There should be an obvious growth in team culture, and, although that may look different from year to year, a team bond and commitment to teammates must be part of that culture.

     3 – Our JV Statesmen should be, well, statesmen, maintaining a high level of sportsmanship and competitiveness that reflects positively on the district, the school, the team, and themselves. We want to be a respected and sought-after opponent.  
         4 – We should produce at least 5 varsity-ready players that Coach Gibson can think about as part of the mix for the next (2019) season. Whether that remains a shared objective remains to be seen and may require some thoughtful decision-making down the road.

     5 – Every player should be able to look back on the season as a worthwhile and enjoyable investment of her time and effort, and a minimum of 80% are looking forward and committed to continuing in the program next season, including participation in the off-season activities and workouts.

I think I can safely speak for my invaluable assistant coaches, Tim Cerutti, Kate Wylie, and David Knapp, when I declare this season a success. We are lucky to have such a large and talented coaching team, from the contracted staff to the many volunteers. I respect and enjoy working with all of them.

Parental involvement and support is something I NEVER take for granted, although, like every year, it’s been consistently outstanding. I started my coaching career at Hancock High School. By the fourth game of every Statesmen season, I have met and almost always have seen virtually every parent of every player at one game or another. I can tell you that by the end of any four year stretch at Hancock High School, I hadn’t met every parent with a senior in the program. The support and sportsmanship the parents modeled for their daughters is an integral part of our success. Thank you for that.

An additional huge "Thank you" to the girls, their parents, and fellow JV coaches who made me feel valued and validated. Whatever the future holds, those warm feelings will live in me for many years to come. I am beyond grateful for the honor and pleasure of carrying them with me.

Again, many thanks to all involved, coaches, parents, district administrators, but especially the girls themselves who never gave us less than their best, who never gave up on a teammate or themselves, for a fantastic season. There will (probably) be one more post about 2018 with some random observations about softball, coaching, and life in general. Or not. It may not always seem so, but I try not to speak (or write) unless I believe that I have something that needs to be said. I hope you enjoyed this season even half as much as I did.

Double Click on any Stat Box to Enlarge