The Pace High School Patriot softball team is undergoing a few changes this season, the most noticeable being new Head Coach Greg Rice, who previously served as an assistant coach in the program.
A few of the senior players on the team said their coach has set expectations for everyone on the roster.
“(Rice) is not trying to be our best friend or anything, he is there to tell us what to do,” said Dakota Berry, who plays second base for the Patriots.
The team also has a more unified presence, being both junior varsity and varsity squads are regularly practicing together.
“We are all practicing together and everyone is competing for a spot,” said Samantha Kummer, who plays 3rd base for the team. “There is a sophomore and a freshmen also competing for my spot, if I start not doing as well then I could lose my spot.”
The uncertainty of which player will play which position could be Coach Rice’s plan to keep his players performing at the top of their game.
“There is a lot of talent out there,” Rice said. “A lot of it is getting these girls to believe in themselves again and actually having that passion for softball.”
Rice has liked what he has seen from his team thus far in practice prior to the beginning of the regular season.
“They come out here every day ready to work, learn something new, improve (and) coaches get questions all of the time,” Rice said. “That kind of desire is a coach’s dream.”
While Rice is adjusting to his new position and the team is adjusting to his style of coaching, Rice is not expecting perfection in his first year.
“I told them I am going to mess up, you are going to mess up, just own up to it and we can move forward,” he said. “My expectation is to work to compete with whoever we are playing.”
In addition to giving a “120 percent” on the field, Rice wants his players to have fun.
Kummer said she is looking forward to seeing how the season plays out for the team.
“(This is) a young team, but we have a want, a desire and a lot of excitement for this season,” she said.
Pace begins their regular season on Tuesday at home against Booker T. Washington High School. Junior varsity plays at 4:30 p.m. and varsity plays at 6:30 p.m.
To assist this year’s squad and future Patriot softball teams, several organizations − including the Pace Softball Boosters organization, Blackwater Truss Systems in Milton, American Concrete in Pensacola, a grant from the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, the SRC school district and parents of players on the team − played a part in providing a new batting cage for the team prior to the beginning of this season.
Rice said the new addition will be a huge benefit for the team especially in rainy weather.
“Last year, when there was any kind of bad weather, practice was cancelled,” Rice said. “This gives them the ability to not missing days.”
With netting, artificial turf and lighting, the new addition will allow players to practice the fundamentals of softball including pitching, hitting and catching regardless of weather or time of day.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Softball: Patriots undergo change for upcoming season