PEORIA — Pete Boley is ready to bring some stability to the Richwoods softball program.
The former Knights assistant coach was introduced Thursday as new head coach of the Peoria program. He takes over for Shannon Partington, who served as interim coach last season.
“You can have the greatest talent on your team,” Boley said, “but if that negative mindset is the focus, it’s not going to matter once you take the field.
“I am here to change the culture of this program, and I am here to get rid of that negative mindset. … This isn’t a talent problem. This is a mindset problem. Historically, we take the field, and they’ve made their mind up they’re going to lose. Our opponents don’t take us seriously. That respect is going to change. I’m going to bring that back, too.”
Boley, 47, was a volunteer coach at Richwoods in 2022, then was hired as an assistant coach for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He’s a private hitting coach as well as running Boley Tool & Machine Works, Inc. in East Peoria.
The Knights finished 2025 with a 5-17 overall record, losing to Geneseo in a Class 3A regional semifinal.
Seven players, including all-Big 12 Conference selections Addison Morrissey (first team), Cici Robinson (second team), Leah Shaffer (honorable mention) and Lyida Day (honorable mention) from that postseason game are slated to return next spring, providing Boley with some optimism about the future.
Boley says he will stress player development and incorporate a moral code that emphasizes sportsmanship, lifting each other up and being disciplined.
“Do all the little things well that the program just hasn’t done,” the 1996 Peoria Notre Dame graduate said. “There’s a certain stigma around this program, and it needs to change. It starts from the top. It starts with the coaching staff. It starts with me.”
During the last five seasons with four different head coaches, the Knights won 20 total games, while being outscored 50-1 in five regional semifinal losses. Richwoods last won a regional game in 2015.
In fact, dating back to 2010, Richwoods has had nine different head coaches and only Kurt Mankle in 2010 helped produce a Class 3A regional championship.
“Coaching has been very inconsistent,” Boley said, “and that’s also a big problem. You can not rebuild a program when you have a different head coach or different staff every year. I’m working on changing that, as well.”
Another structure Boley wants to build within his program is everything from how his team gets off the bus to how they warm up. He credits former Division-I player and motivational speaker Lisa Rizzo for influencing his philosophy of having strong mental toughness.
Achievement, however, in Boley’s debut campaign won’t be determined in the standings.
“The discipline of the little things,” he said, “once you get that in place and you get these players to buy in to that, I think all of that will follow. … Of course, you want more wins, but I think a first successful season would be just noticing a different product on the field.
“I think you’ll start to hear people saying, ‘We have Richwoods on our schedule and I heard they’re actually really good this year.’ ”
Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: New coach says Richwoods softball needs a culture change. It starts with him
Reporting by Adam Duvall, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
