Madill fast-pitch softball team learning how to win
A post-practice discussion on hitting illustrated the challenge ahead for the 2019 Madill Lady Wildcats fast-pitch softball team. Madill head fast-pitch softball coach Randy Rushing and volunteer assistant coach Molly Raley were explaining the philosophy of hitting with two strikes. “You gotta attack it,” Rushing said to finish a detailed explanation. Although the team listened closely to Rushing, they were quick to turn around when Raley chimed in. “When you have two strikes, you have to choke up on the bat,” Raley said. “And you have to get further down cause you’re seeing that ball come in better. When you have a better angle at it you can see it. If it’s anywhere close to the strike zone, we have to swing when we have two strikes. That’s what we’re talking about. When you choke up on the bat, you have more control.”
Later on, Rushing raved about the work Raley has done with the squad this summer.
“She puts a lot of time into it,” he said. “It’s her time and you can tell she loves doing it. I’ve told administration how much of a benefit she’s been.”
The pair will guide a relatively young Lady Wildcats squad this fall. Rushing said the team only has one senior.
“This is my second tour of duty,” he said. “First time was four years. This time, it’s my fifth year.”
Rushing said there have been a lot of changes during his tenure including a dedicated softball practice facility.
“Getting this new building here has meant a tremendous amount to us,” he said. “Previously, we shared with the baseball team and had to schedule around their practices. It was so inconvenient.”
Rushing said he appreciates the efforts of Superintendent Larry Case and the Madill Public School Board of Education for getting construction completed on the building.
Rushing said dedicated facilities will improve the team’s performance in the years ahead.
“You’re not gonna see it right away,” he said. “But as time goes on we’ll get better and better. Right now, we’re better than we were this time last year.”
Rushing admitted there will be challenges ahead.
“Last year, we had four or five girls that got a lot of playing time,” he said. “And this team is really young. We have one senior, a lot of freshmen, a lot of sophomores and some juniors.”
Rushing said 90 percent of the team has shown up regularly for hitting practice at 6:30 a.m. daily.
“It’s good,” he said. “They went to summer pride and came back. The girls are doing a really good job and they are coming together.”
Rushing said the biggest obstacle the team faces is many players have only spent a few years playing softball, so they are still learning the game.
“We haven’t established a tradition here where the girl that’s playing’s mother played,” he said. “And until that happens, it’s hard for a player to go home and say, ‘this is what coach said I need to work on’ and having their parent’s experience that situation and they can relate to it.”
The Lady Wildcats open their season at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, August 12 with games against Hugo and Soper. Hugo will host the games.