Perry’s new softball coach just completed her first official game. This is what she had to say after the resounding win

PERRY — Raegan Stella completed her first official game as Perry’s head softball coach on Monday, a resounding win over Wilcox County.

The 15-2 final ended in four innings and displayed an aggressive team both on the bags and in the batters box. That kind of mentality was one of the first things Stella implemented over the summer.

“I told them coming in, ‘Everybody at this stage can catch and throw. Everybody at this stage can hit a ball, pitch a ground ball. The only thing that’s gonna set us apart is stealing bags, being aggressive,’” she said. “That was like, my niche, growing up was base running … I told them even if they get thrown out nine out of ten times … that one time it does work could be the reason why we win or lose ball games.”

Junior Addison Sisa was a shining example. In the leadoff spot she was effective getting on base and lightning quick.

She was perhaps a little too eager in the second inning, though, when she was called out after leaving the base long before the ball left the pitcher’s hand. That sequence garnered a lighthearted reaction from the coaching staff as she jogged back to the dugout smiling.

“Something about Sisa is she’s gonna do everything the correct way,” Stella said. “If we tell her to do something she’s saying, ‘Yes ma’am, yes sir,’ and she’s fixing it immediately. Not only is she good on the ball field, but she’s good in the locker room too. She keeps the girls all in check, but in a nice way, the girls respect her. She also gives the same respect back to them.”

It’s all about approachability

Stella spent a lot of time in the summer fostering an open relationship with her players. After the game on Monday one of them came up to her and offered her thoughts on a certain aspect of the game in an open dialogue.

Not every coach comes off as approachable as Stella, and it took a little for her players to adjust.

“I think, because I’m a teacher, it comes naturally to me. I know how to talk to kids all the time,” Stella said. “They were a little timid at first, they were scared … The more we spent every single day together in the summer [the more they opened up]. They text me all the time, call me when they need me, ask questions … Everybody else too, not just me. Our whole coaching staff.”

A big focus of Stella and her staff is also making sure the team has fun.

It’s easy for everyone involved in sports to forget that they are games, which are meant to be fun. There’s a little more nuance to it than that, considering the stakes and potential scholarships and contracts riding on performance, but Stella has made sure fun keeps its place in the program.

“In order for girls to win, they have to have fun,” Stella said. “Boys have fun when they win, but girls have to have fun to win. So I think keeping the girls close, knowing that they have a relationship with us, we always tell them there’s a time to play. But there’s a time to lock in, so they know the difference between inside the locker room [and] outside the locker room.”

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Stella is a Perry alum and teacher at Perry Middle School. She was glad to start off her coaching career with the Lady Panthers with a big win.

“It means a lot to me because I graduated school from here, and we had a good run when I was here, and I had the best memories when I was here,” Stella said. “I just wanted to bring that back to our county … It feels good to come out and show out. We’ve been hyping the girls up for weeks, so I’m glad we didn’t disappoint anybody.”

Perry will host Lee County on Aug. 5 at 6 p.m.

Wilcox County returns home on Aug. 5 to play Jeff Davis at 5 p.m.