After consecutive seasons finishing below the Atoms standard, the Atoms Athletics office decided a change was needed within the softball coaching staff. Former assistant coach Morgan Neild was promoted to head coach, bringing a shift in the coaching style and culture to the diamond.

 “Coach Neild always has lots of energy and comes to practice and games very hype,” said Junior First Baseman Kellyn Doherty.  “She is constantly helping the team improve more and more every day.” 

What makes Coach Neild so great is her ability to support players of all skill levels and help them improve at a high rate.

“Coach Neild does a great job supporting all her players and meeting them where they’re at,” said Junior Third Baseman and captain, Tilly Moreland.

Similarly to a new face in the coaching seat, a few new faces are present on the field. Adapting to new teammates is always a struggle at first but the positive and friendly environment created by Coach Neild makes it easy to overcome that challenge.

“I think as we get to know each other’s personalities and playing styles better, our teamwork, communication, and motivation is improving as we get further into the season,” said Freshman Frieda Lamar.

Although the team had a new coach, the old tradition of offseason Green Days continued. 

“I attended most of the Green Days and they helped me get familiar with the coaches and know what was expected of me at tryouts,” said Lamar. “I also went to winter clinics that helped me prepare for the upcoming season.”

With the shift in the coaching style, the Atom’s strengths on the field changed as well. Rising numbers in Batting Averages and On-Base Percentages are evident throughout the majority of the roster.

“I think out hitting has improved a lot this season, a lot more players are making contact and getting on base compared to last season,” said Doherty.

Pitching remains the strength of the Atoms by far with starting pitcher and captain Teagan Scott-Daniels eclipsing 100 strikeouts on Senior night. Her quality outing on Senior Night marks the third consecutive season of reaching triple digit punch outs. Scott-Daniels led the district in strikeouts considerably last season and this season is no different.

“My goal isn’t to strikeout as many batters as I can,” said Scott-Daniels. “I aim for soft contact and creating routine plays for my infield.”

Another luxury the Atoms possess is Sophomore Riya Vlcan’s arm in relief outings as she has continued to prove her capability and reliability in high leverage situations.

The Atoms boast an overall record of 4-5, but more importantly hold a district record of 4-3 where they sit steady in 4th place. Despite starting the season strong, especially within district play, our girls still aren’t satisfied.

“We always want to be at our best and we still have much more to learn and improve at,” said Scott-Daniels. “Luckily we still have time left in the season and we’re trending in the right direction.”

The energy at practice and throughout the school day leading up to practice has vastly improved as a result of Nield’s positive attitude and bubbly personality. 

“I always look forward to getting in more reps and hanging out with my friends,” said Doherty.

“The thing I look forward to the most at practice is working with my team to make plays and get fielding reps in,” said Moreland. “It’s always fun to make a great play or compliment someone else when they do.”

As the end of the season draws near, the Atoms are in a prime position to make a deep playoff run. Players getting healthier, more reps, intimidating pitching, and a offense geared at putting pressure on the defense are all aspects the Atoms are perfecting at the right time. 

“I’m optimistic as we head into districts this year. Our team has seen a big improvement since last year while other districts teams have experienced the opposite when their seniors graduated,” said Moreland.  “I think we’ll make it far and I know the team will give it their all.”

There’s no doubt the Atoms will head into the district playoffs with a good seed, the question becomes how far can the team go in Coach Neild’s inaugural season…