The softball program here at Worthington Kilbourne is undergoing a change in leadership for its upcoming season. This year, Kim Bryson will be taking the reins as the new varsity head coach, with Chloe Biskner and Anna St. Clair joining her as assistant coaches.
Bryson previously played varsity softball for 4 years at Perrysburg high school and continued her career into college, playing for 4 more years at Niagara University, a Division 1 school located in New York.
Biskner played at Otterbein University and will be returning for her second year as a coach at Kilbourne; St. Clair will make her coaching debut this season after playing softball throughout high school. This season will mark Bryson’s 9th year coaching, though it will be her first for WKHS. “What inspired both myself and my assistant coaches to coach at WKHS is our passion and love for the game,” explained Bryson. “We are all teachers here at Kilbourne, and we have loved the culture and community that WKHS provides.”
The coaches plan to translate some of their previous playing and coaching knowledge over to this season, with Bryson drawing on her experiences as an assistant coach at Springfield High School for inspiration: “During my final season [there], I learned what it took to lead a team to the highest level of competition.” The varsity team that season was able to compete at the Division 1 state championship under her coaching.
A few of the coaches goals for the team this season include playing tough competition, building strong bonds as a team, and for players to be able to “continue to achieve the high levels of success they’ve been striving towards in the classroom,” said Bryson.
Sophomore Rae Pfeiffer adds that a main goal of the varsity program is to beat Thomas Worthington when the two face off in May.
Pfeiffer has been playing softball for 10 years, and this will be her second season with WKHS. She hopes to see “more one-on-one coaching compared to last year, especially as someone who is working multiple different positions on the field.” Pfeiffer, primarily a third baseman, thinks that individual coaching will be more achievable this year, something that Bryson also hopes to make a standard.
A successful sports season is not complete without its fair share of respective challenges, acknowledged Bryson. Any spring sport has to compete with everything from unpredictable Ohio weather to muddy fields and everything in between. Additionally, the team’s roster has shrunk since last year: “We are carrying a varsity only program and working hard to build interest in the years to come,” said Bryson. To those interested in joining the softball team, Pfeiffer reminds that, “Softball will always be a physically and mentally demanding sport. If you’re willing to be flexible and put your heart into it, go for it!”
To view the Varsity softball schedule, see below. Be sure to attend some game this spring to see all the hard work the team has been putting in! Go Wolves!
