Lady Bison basketball Coach Mike Coreno has brought his talents to the softball team this spring, resulting in a 4-10 record, a slight improvement from last year.

“This year was one of the team’s best seasons…” junior Emily Dann wrote in an email, “…not because of the record per say, but our heads were consistently in the game, and we really improved on core fundamentals as well as putting the bat on the ball.”

“This is a very young team,” said Coreno. “We have a lot of work to do and there have been many setbacks because of the weather.”

“The softball team has had more energy and been happier since we got a new coaching staff,” said sophomore Kayla Harrison. “(Our) season has had its ups and downs. However, it’s a lot better than last year. We have been working to make it even better.”

“I love the new coaching staff,” said Harrison, who plays a variety of positions. “They help us progress and understand the game more. They also help us get things right when we do something wrong,” she said.

Coreno stressed that the weather is one of the biggest reasons the team is not having as much success as he believes they could. Also, there were many injuries that have made the lineup difficult to figure out.

Freshmen Lauren Miller agreed.

“I play first base, but I ended up playing second base too because some people got injured, so we had to move around,” she said.

There have been many ups and downs this season.

“My least favorite part was a hitting slump I got into… also getting run ruled a couple games in a row,” Miller said.

“My least favorite part is sometimes not performing as well as I know we can in the field and while batting,” Harrison said.

“The top of our order can hit well while the bottom is not as skilled,” Coreno said. “This really hurts us moving down our lineup because we need more than the top half of our lineup to perform while hitting. Our fielding is pretty strong, but people are playing many positions they are not used to because of injuries. We are not able to practice as much because of the weather.”

In spite of the challenges, the players are having fun.

“(My) favorite part was our double header against Fairport because that was the best we have played,” said Miller. The Bison won the game 4-3.

“I think communication is something the team will definitely focus on during the offseason,” Dann wrote. “We plan on playing together over the summer and have continued practice [after the season ended].”

Dann feels that players need to work on their anticipation of where the plays will be and where to throw the ball. On the whole, she is positive about the season.

“We’re a young team, but look forward to seeing major improvements for next year,” Dann wrote.

Fellow Junior Alex Mintz identified areas where she sees room for improvement.

“I think we did a really good job this season, and we just need to work hard in the offseason and continue to play together,” she wrote. “We also need to play for a full seven innings and not have a bad one or two innings.”

Coreno believes that some of his players have the skills to play at the next level.

“It really just depends on how much work they put in [during] the off season,” he said. “The girls who have the talent really have to know that it is like a job and that you really have to work every day to be great.”

“I am really proud of the girls,” Coreno said. “They show up every day, and I believe that all of them want to be here,” he said. “They all try hard, and we are definitely improving. Next season we will hopefully improve even more.”