As the spring sports season is underway, the softball team embraces the new atmosphere that comes with a fully new coaching staff.
Following Ms. Laurie Wohnhas’s retirement from coaching after the 2024 season, the softball team needed new staff. Coach Scott Davis, a teacher at John Poole Middle School, has taken on the role of Varsity head coach.
One of the changes that Davis made as he stepped into the role of coach was to have the Varsity and Junior Varsity teams practice together. Many of the players on the varsity team are returning from past years, with athletes from every grade represented on the team. This year, there are two freshmen on the varsity team, as well as three seniors. Davis believes that by having the teams work together, he helps build both the younger players and the new player’s skills, as well as overall team chemistry.
Davis has been coaching travel softball since 2007 and has experience coaching in schools as well. He was Bethesda Chevy-Chase (BCC) High School’s Varsity softball coach from 2015-2018, John Poole Middle School’s softball coach, and PHS’s baseball coach. The JV team also required a new coach, with Coach Brooke Hamm stepping into the role. She is a Poolesville alum who played softball, field hockey, and basketball during her high school years. Hamm also has coaching experience with both JV and Varsity field hockey at Poolesville.
Davis says, “Team chemistry is really important to me, so I emphasize that a lot in team-building activities that the girls participate in.”
This emphasis on team chemistry has not gone unacknowledged by the girls.
“His most crucial values are team chemistry and work ethic,” senior Captain Paige Soskin said. “He appreciates how our team has a close bond and only wants us to get closer.”
Soskin has had four years of experience on the Varsity softball team, watching the team grow each year. One difference that she has noticed with Davis as a Coach, is the focus on mechanics, with the team learning how every step of the game is broken down. Davis is taking a more competitive approach than the team has seen in years past, and he values quality over quantity, focusing on the little details of the sport.
While the team learns how to adjust to Davis’s coaching style, senior Captain Cara Porch said the captains have been helpful.
“The captains have really helped bridge the gap between the players and the new coach by promoting team bonding and spreading positivity while adjusting themselves,” said Porch.
The start of the softball season has included many tough games, with the team’s record so far being 2-6. However, Davis’s main goals for the season consist of getting better every day and finishing the season strong.
“I have seen them all take to getting better every day,” Davis said, attributing this to the focus on team growth.“They are listening to the skills that we are teaching them and trying hard to get better at those skills.”
According to Soskin, the girls are aware that the beginning of their season has been tough, but they are going into it with positivity.
“During practices and games, we make sure to cheer each other on no matter what and always have each other’s backs to make a strong team,” Soskin said.
Davis says he hopes to continue to build a positive team environment throughout this season, creating opportunities for team bonding as much as possible and encouraging the girls to become the best players they can be.
