The Manchester Lady Mavericks softball team picked up their first win of the season last week with a 12-0 win over Humphreys Academy.
The win also marked the first career “softball’’ win for MA Head Coach Stacy Hester.
Hester, who picked up his 1,000th baseball win a few months back while skippering the Maverick baseball team, takes over a Lady Mav softball team this season that was in need of a coach.
“They couldn’t find a coach so they asked me if I would step in so I did,” said Hester. “It’s definitely going to be interesting.”
Hester inherits a young squad that will be learning the ins and outs of softball along with him. And while baseball and softball are similar, the major adjustment Hester will have to make will be coaching girls for the first time ever.
“I’m going to try and take a different approach when it comes to coaching girls,” said Hester. “I’m going to try and have a little more fun because I know I can’t treat the girls like I do my boys. I know they’ve probably heard some horror stories about how tough I am so I’m going to have to lighten my approach a little.”
In the win over Humphreys, leading the way at the plate were Annabeth Merrell with a triple, double and single (5 RBI); Charlie Stevens with a double and single (3 RBI); and Molly McBride and Morgan Foster each with a single.
Sixth-grader Millie Cerda picked up the win on the mound, pitching four innings with four strikeouts and allowing two hits.
Added Hester, “I was very proud of them for getting their first win. I know that I have some things to learn about the game, but it has it’s similarities to baseball. You have to have good pitching and defense. Millie is just a sixth-grader, and she did a great job the other day. I told the girls and the parents that I can assure them one thing, and that is we’re going to be better at the end of the season than we are right now because we’re going to put in the work.
“We have one senior, three juniors, two sophomores, a seventh grader and two sixth graders starting, so we’re very young,” said Hester. “But I’ve got a great coaching staff and an eager group of girls who want to learn, work hard and get better.”
