MISHAWAKA — Penn High School softball coach Beth Zachary knows that her players face plenty of pressures as young ladies who are part of a big-time program.
That’s part of the reason why the veteran mentor makes sure that their time spent on the diamond is not all about preparation.
A Penn softball practice has purpose to it every single day, but that does not mean that the 90-minute sessions do not include their fair share of fun. The Kingsmen went through a relatively light workout May 20 after a 4-0 Northern Indiana Conference win at South Bend Saint Joseph the previous night. They were also slated to host St. Joe May 21 and then host perennial Michigan power Lakeshore for a doubleheader May 22 before facing South Bend Riley in the Class 4A Penn Sectional May 27.
“The most important thing for our girls is that this should be the happiest time of the day for them,” said Zachary following the extremely well organized, efficient and fast-paced practice May 20. “The best part of my day is being here. I don’t take that for granted. I’m so blessed to get to coach these girls. It’s an honor and a privilege to be out here every day.
“These are 14- to 17-year-old kids. This should be their safe space. The place where they know why they play this game and why they love it. It’s all about our culture here. We laugh and we have fun, but we also get our work in. Our kids know when it’s time to focus and lock in.”
The Kingsmen, ranked No. 3 in Class 4A, finished the regular season at 24-3. They won the NIC championship at 12-0. The perennial power has not missed a beat despite losing 11 seniors from last year’s team that finished 25-5 and made the Class 4A semi-state title game. The list of graduated standouts included Miss Softball Ava Zachary, who just finished her freshman season at Notre Dame.
The Penn workout May 20 included plenty of fundamentals, including hitting off tees and working on defensive situations against bunts and slap hitters. It also included its share of light moments with players singing and dancing. It also involved plenty of interaction between players among themselves and also with head coach Zachary and assistant coaches David Zachary (Beth’s husband) and Dave Barncord.
“We have a very open dialogue here and I respect the opinions of my players,” noted coach Zachary. “We have practice planned every day to work on certain things, but they tell us what they need too. That’s just what we do. I don’t want robots.
“Our practices do not run over in terms of time. But I have players every day asking to do extra work, like taking extra ground balls or extra reps in the cage. Practice is absolutely where you win games at.”
The Penn players love how practices are conducted by coach Zachary, who won a state championship herself as a pitcher at Castle High School before competing for then NCAA Division-I IPFW.
Star slugger Logan Rumble, who will play at Northwestern University, is the leader of this Penn team as a four-year standout and one of four seniors. Rumble is batting .506 and is already Penn’s all-time leader in career home runs and has the single-season record with 11 this year. The talented right fielder also has 37 runs, 46 RBI, 13 doubles, a slugging percentage of 1.114 and an OPS of 1.685. Rumble should be an Indiana All-Star and one of the frontrunners for Miss Softball at the end of the season.
“Our practices are very fun,” said Rumble. “We have a lot of freedom to decide what we need to work on in practice, and that’s really nice. We get what we need. This team is good too about knowing when to flip the switch and be serious at practice.
“Practices are where you make mistakes. Our coaches want us to be horrible practice players in that sense of making the mistakes here and not in games. I always feel like we are very prepared. That’s why we do not panic during games. We have confidence in each other and our coaches and that comes from practice.”
Rumble, on this day, was in the batting cage taking extra swings as coach Zachary threw to her.
Sophomore Charlie Swiger has been a difference maker in her first season as a varsity starter. The shortstop and No. 2 hitter in the deep Penn lineup is batting .461 with 33 runs, 15 RBIs and eight extra base hits.
“Our practices are very organized and focused,” Swiger said. “But we still have fun, which is very important. Everyone makes it fun. When the time comes, we know when to be serious. We are really good at focusing.
“Our coaches ask us for our input about practices and what we need. I think that helps us a lot as a team to work together.”
The Penn practice on this day actually began with a lesson in the proper way to shake hands and greet someone. Coach Zachary had her players practice the routine with one another to start the season and revisited the routine as a reminder. The practice concluded with players stretched out on the infield turf of their homefield.
Coach Zachary, who won a Class 4A state title in 2023, knows a thing or two about a program feeling like a family. Addyson Zachary, the sophomore starting second baseman for the Kingsmen, is the third daughter to play for mother Beth. She follows pitcher Aubrey, who is now at Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, and infielder Ava.
“All things matter to me, such as the right way to shake someone’s hand, whether it’s our opponents or an umpire,” Zachary said. “We also do a lot of work with visualization. I want our players to have a toolbox full of things for them to count on.
“I coach the whole player. That’s what it’s all about in our program. I’m trying to prepare our players for more than just softball at the end of the day.”
While still having plenty of fun along the way.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: A look inside the preparation done for Penn softball ahead of IHSAA postseason
Reporting by Scott Davidson, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
