The Mount Gilead (MG) Indians are coming off a rough season on the softball diamond in which they failed to win a KMAC matchup and went 6-12 overall, and while the team could have some bumps in the road due to lack of team experience, MG softball coach Morgan Dettra hopes that her team can be competitive and improve as the season progresses.
“Our biggest challenge this year is experience,” said Dettra, who is in her first season at the helm for Mount Gilead. “The team graduated six seniors last year. We currently have one senior and three juniors, the rest being underclassmen. Our goal for this year is to stay competitive in all games and improve throughout the season.”
The Indians are counting on a pair of juniors to lead the way this spring: Greer Simpson and Kierra Main. Dettra said the team’s strengths are that they are speedy, have exhibited that they are coachable and work hard as a unit. The weakness is experience, as there are three players on the squad that are completely new to the sport, and half the team is comprised of underclassmen.
Dettra leads the MG varsity with experience coaching some solid players. She helped coach McKenzie Bump, who currently plays college ball at The Ohio State University. She coached Raygan Walters, who played for Gannon University, and is now part of the Mount Gilead coaching staff. Dettra was also on the staff when Caylor Arnold was on the team, and she ended up going to Northwestern University.
Dettra is also a Mount Gilead softball alum, and during her time on the diamond, the Indians won the conference in three of her four years, and made a regional appearance in 2003. Dettra played softball for four years at Malone University in Canton, Ohio, and after college, she coached for eight years as a JV and varsity assistant coach.
Dettra’s coaching philosophy is to try to instill a passion and love for the game of softball. She said she wants the team to gain confidence as the season goes on, in both themselves and their teammates. Her hope is to establish discipline through teaching fundamentals, adding that “hard work and discipline pays off and leads to wins.”
“I would love to see the softball program successful, like it was when I was in high school,” she said. “We took pride in our program and I would like to bring that back to MG.”
The Indians start with three scrimmages to get things going, but their first regular season game is on Monday, March 27 at Utica High School with a 5 p.m. start. The first league matchup is at Danville on Wednesday, March 29 at 5:15 p.m.
Mount Gilead hosts Danville for their first home game on Friday, March 31 at 5:15 p.m.
