The SMS softball team will have a new coach for the upcoming season. Olivia Abney, last year’s softball coach, is now coaching at the University of Nebraska. The team will still have social studies teacher Joseph Lorenzo as the assistant varsity coach. The team is also still looking for a JV coach.

The new coach is Jay Bredwell. Bredwell has been a softball coach for eight years. Last year he coached softball at Leavenworth High School. Prior to that, he coached the KC Peppers and the Olathe Rockets competitive travel softball club teams. During the off season, Bredwell travels all over the nation to learn new softball skills and knowledge from college coaches.

“As head coach, I will indeed utilize those valuable techniques compiled with my experience to help the softball program reach our goals,” Bredwell said.

Bredwell grew up in the South district until he was in preschool and lived around the Kansas City area until he went off to college. Witnessing South’s school spirit made him want to coach here. Bredwell has friends who graduated from South and some of them have been involved in the 50th Anniversary celebrations.

This year, tryouts will be start  Feb. 29. Tryouts will be held at Indian Creek, where the practice field is also located. The address for Indian Creek is 4401 W 103rd St, Shawnee Mission, KS 66207.

The first open gym will be offered  tonight, and will continue Wednesday nights from 7-8 p.m. Open gym consists of throwing, batting and working on any softball skills you want to improve. Due to the weather the first day of conditioning will be this Thursday right after school until 4 p.m. Softball conditioning is not all running. The team will focus on plyometrics (speed & agility),  core work and weights. Conditioning is held in the gyms or the hallways around the gyms.

“Everyone’s welcome — even if they are just curious or just want to work out,” Bredwell said.

 The team lost five seniors last year so they are needing to fill those missing spots.