Amber-Pocasset softball head coach Erick Muncy has been coaching for seven years at Am-Po and has 22-years total in the game. He said this year’s softball team is shaping up to have a great season, coming off success last year.

“We are young but athletic,” Muncy said. “We were 24-5 last season and got to the state tournament quarterfinals. In the last four years we’ve been in the quarterfinals and semis in 2A, and been to the semis and state champs in A. We have a chance to be pretty good this year, depending on how we grow up and develop.”

It hasn’t been an easy path, however, and Muncy said the team is trying to jump the hurdles as they come.

“First off, we’re trying to get healthy,” he said. “We have had a couple pitchers that have been hurt. We are trying to learn the fundamentals of the game, make it simple, learn to play hard and hustle and compete. We are also working on our team chemistry and playing team ball and learning what it means to be a good teammate. We are a lot younger this year; we had five starters graduate.”

Muncy said he had several goals for the girls this season, and he hopes they can rise to his challenges.

“We want to try to compete and have fun,” he said. “We want to play with confidence, play to win and not play to lose. If you make a mistake, make sure you make it with flair. Offensively, we are going to have to get our leadoff on and execute small ball to score runs. Defensively, we should be able to pitch if we get healthy, and we should be solid.

“We have a senior catcher who is really good, Devynn Harris, and a senior at shortstop who is solid, Jacie White. Those are our only two seniors.”

In the end, Muncy said softball is about repetition, and repeating successful strategies ensures successful seasons.

“The more you practice, the more you have success,” he said. “You can be the best hitter by doing an ordinary thing, like getting a base hit more than anyone else. You do this by practicing more than anyone else.”