Friday, April 19, 2024
Heading into her second year as head coach of the Granbury High School softball team, Katie Lefler admits she has a better grasp on what to do at her Lady Pirates softball camp held June 13-15, and it's about generating excitement for the sport.
"Watch this one," Lefler said. "She's got a nice swing."
Lefler points to one of the batters about to step up to the pitching machine she has set up at one of several stations the players are participating in on Tuesday. Lefler fires a couple of balls to make her adjustments, and with the machine dialed in at 53 mph, she has things set for the next set of players.
Incoming sophomore Faith Evans is one of the players helping with the camp, and her mission is to adjust the machine according to the player's height.
"You use this knob to adjust it to the left or right," Lefler said. "This one here is for up and down. This one (speed adjustment) you leave alone."
With different aged players, Lefler makes the adjustments for speed that are fast enough to challenge her campers but not so fast that they become disheartened with too many strikes. When the practice ball makes a thump against the backstop, sufficient to get the next group of batters' attention, that seems to be the right speed.
It's a starting point for future Lady Pirates who will see much faster softballs when they make it to the plate. Right now, it is about developing the fundamentals that will lead to maximum bat speeds because Lefler laid it out very plain during the district season – her Lady Pirates will need to catch up to league pitching.
While the goal of any camp is to have as much fun as possible while learning the game, this year is still a building process after Lefler started last season being dealt a bit of a raw deal with a very young team that needed teaching as much as it needed coaching.
Now things have begun to settle into a groove as Lefler has established bonds and chemistry with her players. Also she has freshly minted District 5-5A Co-Pitcher of the Year Allison Dafoe out on the diamond – coaching the "Littles."
For the younger campers, it's a dream come true as they get instruction from the coaches and players, and at the same time, it's continuing to build on the foundations of players on the cusp of putting on a varsity uniform.
"I'm thankful to my staff and varsity players for coming out. It means a lot to me, and it means so much to our campers," Lefler said. "Our younger players represent the future of our program, and when they see the varsity girls out here working and hustling, they want to follow that example and get better."
Russell@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066 ext. 231
