After the loss of pitcher Jakki Prater this season, the softball team was left in need of someone to step forward. The position was perfectly filled by junior, Jenalee Cologna. 

     “She has stepped up as a leader on the mound,” says Head-Coach Amanda Orchard, “ She has to pitch every game, and she has really taken up that position.”

     Cologna has been in the game since the third grade. Having close to ten years of playing under her belt, the experience shows in her ability as a pitcher. 

     “She knows the game so well,” explains Orchard, “She knows when she does something wrong and she knows how to fix it. My only job is fine-tuning what she already has.”

      Pitcher is one of the most vital positions in the game. Her teammates expect a lot from her, and Cologna does not make a habit of disappointing them.

     “All my teammates are like my sisters,” says Cologna, “I just get everybody going by getting us out of a mess.”

     Cologna is also placed third in the batting order which is yet another large responsibility. 

     “Everybody expects me to get a hit,” says Cologna. And having one of the best hitting records on the team she is living up to their expectations. 

     Cologna has become of the most valuable assets to the team. With all of her achievements such as her solid hitting record and striking out ex-teammate Jakki Prater, coaches and fans alike have high expectations for her senior year.

It’s no secret that the bond between a coach and player is much different than that of a father and daughter. But some can master both with ease.

   “It’s one of the greatest joys of my life, and I think she feels the same way,” says Coach Howard Bell, proud father and coach of junior, Kameron Bell. “

    Bell’s softball playing dates back as far as the fourth grade, and though her dad is a baseball coach, she was not pushed into it.  

   “We realized at a young age, about seven or eight, that she was athletic,” says Coach Bell, “But we didn’t push her into certain sports.”

   With years of experience, come years of memories. Bell still cherishes the memory of her first infield home run off a bunt. 

    She laughingly remembers, “I was pretty tired after running the bases.”

   Bell is one of four girls on the team that have previous softball experience. “Her experience plays a part,” says Coach Bell, “She’s one of the best hitters on the team. She’s leading in hits right now.”

   From a coaching standpoint, it is not only her experience that makes her vital but her intensity as well.

   “She hates to lose,” says Coach Bell, “She’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done. She got that from her dad.”

   The team looks to Bell as a leader and a morale booster. And she meets their expectations with ease.

   “I always try to keep everybody up and have a good attitude,” says Bell.

   It’s understandable for a player to not want their dad to also be their coach. But the Bells certainly have no problem with it.

   “I kind of like it because he is a good coach,” explains Bell, “He tells me what I do wrong at home.”

   Coach Bell agrees that being both a father and coach has never hurt their relationship.

   “We’ve never had one difficult moment,” remarks Coach Bell. 

   He explains that before he took the job he consulted with his daughter. “She told me she wanted nothing more than for her dad to be her coach,” says Coach Bell proudly.