MaxPreps Student SectionGraphic Communication Arts (New York, N.Y.) High school's varsity softball coach has a new goal this year: to win. Teddy Mallory, who has been coaching varsity softball for 6 years, is finally coming out of his three year slump of obtaining records such as 4-10 (‘07), 0-16 (‘08), and 0-11 ('09). Starting the season with a 2-4 record, the softball team has been showing improvements with their brand new roster and name.
Last season, Mallory broke the "curse" and decided to modify the team's uniform, which previously excluded the school's mascot "Devils"; the uniform now reads "Graphics." This superstition grew from the ‘07 MLB's Tampa Bay Devil Rays' change to Tampa Bay Rays. After the Rays' changed their name, their fans started to watch them play because the team was no longer "slumping." "It may sound dumb, but I think changing the name actually helped. We were actually 6-2 last year, while the years before we were like 0-14" said senior catcher Leslie Grullon.
After being placed in the Developmental league (a division for new softball teams or teams who have consecutive records with zero wins) last season. Mallory worked very hard to move back up to Division B III, Graphic sports division. "I love the makeup of this team. We all believe we can win. We are a tight knit team compared to prior years" he said. The girls are now back to Division B III, but are still shaky with their pitchers. "Since my first year playing for Graphics, I noticed that our problem is not hitting or our defense, it has always been our pitching. We have pitchers, but it's either they throw slowly in the middle or they just have a wild pitch" said senior Lynda Fernandez. "If we lose, it's not because we can't hit or catch the ball, it's because we give them too many walks. Those walks are always killing us."
For Mallory, it's all about leadership, sportsmanship, and being mentally prepared. "The game of softball is 98% mental, and 2% skills" he says to his team every day. The senior players are his role models; "My seniors are very special to me, they are my top players because they display leadership skills to the younger players." He ends his practices with chanting "No excuses" because that's what he wants to teach his players, "To take responsibilities for their actions and then there will be no excuses."
Coach Mallory is not your typical strict coach who assigns suicides (an exercise where you run back and forth across the field) every time you miss the ball. He wants to teach his players something else other than softball. Besides sharing his love of the game with them, he wants to teach them that "with determination success will follow." With his mentality, solid team, and great advice, Coach Mallory will definitely lead his team into playoffs.
