The process took a while but Perryville High didn't have to look far to find its new softball coach. Dave Ruark, a physical education teacher at PHS, has been selected to replace his friend, Rusty Moore, who is now in charge of the Rising Sun High program. Ruark has a wealth of coaching experience on the Perryville diamonds, having been involved in some capacity with either the baseball or softball programs, and sometimes both, all 13 years he has been at Perryville. He served as JV baseball coach for two seasons, head coach for two seasons, and then assisted Moore for a season before taking a step back when he started a family. Ruark spent a few seasons floating between the softball and baseball programs on a volunteer basis. With his wife Christi's blessing, he took over the Panthers' JV softball team last spring 10 days after preseason practice had started. "I went in thinking, "I'll help out," he said, "and I loved it." Thanks to the support from his wife and other family members including his mother-in-law, Ruark will have the time to coach again this spring. Working solely with a girls team required a slight adjustment, but it was one Ruark made quickly. "Coaching girls is different," he said. "I liked their enthusiasm and open minds. They were all coachable. They realized their ability wasn't already up to where they were going to be and that you could help them. I'm hoping the varsity girls have the same attitude." Ruark won't be starting from scratch. The Panthers made consecutive appearances in the state semifinals before falling to Bohemia Manor in the region semifinals last season. He has surrounded himself on his coaching staff with what he calls "softball people". Matt Barbato, who has coached in youth programs including Elkton Little League, is an assistant coach. He will be joined by several Perryville residents, who have daughters in the program and also have coaching experience – Mike "Buzz" Phillips, Chris Pollitt, Donnie Poore, and Marty Reynolds. Ruark said his staff will focus on fundamentals. "We will stress fielding and working together," he said. "We want to do as many little things right as possible." Practice is only about a month away and Ruark says competition for playing time will be fierce. Perryville only has two returning seniors – Emily Baker and Krystle Schweers, who will miss at least the first part of the season as she recovers from a knee injury. There are 11 juniors, nine sophomores, and 11 freshmen. "It's a fresh start for everybody," Ruark said. "No one will be given a position. It's a competition and will be evaluated week-to-week. Everyone trying out has the potential to be a varsity player." Ruark is already looking ahead to April 10 when his buddy Moore brings Rising Sun to town. "It's going to be interesting," Ruark said. "We've never coached against each other. I'm used to sitting five feet away from him at lunch and talking about baseball and softball all the time. I don't like to lose. It's like playing your best friend in Fantasy Football. That's the one game you really want to win. I'd be lying if I said that game wasn't going to mean a little bit more. Perryville-Rising Sun has always been a big rivalry and now you throw our friendship into the mix." Comments are closed.
|
Categories
All
Archives
December 2018
|