Marron Promises "New Era" At BHS

Jim Marron has been named the new head Softball coach at Beaverton High School. At a meeting tonight, Marron promised a new beginning for softball. Marron said his primary focus will be the development of each player's individual skills, as well as their understanding of the game and what it means to be part of a team. Lem Montoya will continue as an Assistant Coach. Most recently, Marron coached the Red Heat 18 Gold team. Marron's daughter Kaylyn graduated from Beaverton last spring and is currently playing at College of the Siskiyous in Northern California.

Marron said that workouts for players will begin during the winter, with position-specific drills scheduled for pitchers and catchers. A pitching coach will be brought onto the coaching staff to reinforce work pitchers do with their own pitching coach, as well as work on game-specific drills. Workouts will be scheduled around winter sports programs whenever necessary, and all players are encouraged to attend whenever possible. Winter work will include mental training as well as physical training.

Marron stressed that failure in the classroom will not be tolerated, and that the team will do whatever it can to assist student-athletes in maintaining their grades. This may include study halls, peer tutoring and other methods. The coaching staff will be proactive in checking to ensure that players are keeping up on schoolwork.

Marron intends to carry 13 to 15 players on varsity next season, and vowed that only the best would make the team. He noted that attitude was an important component of a player's ability, and that each player would have a specific role, and would know what that role was and why it had been assigned. Marron stressed the importance of communication, and asked players and parents to feel free to contact him with questions. He said he is a frequent email communicator and that parents and players should be on the lookout for information about workouts, events and other items in that manner.

Montoya discussed the team's plans and needs for the upcoming season. Among these were fundraising and field work. The staff intends on upgrading the JV field this year, including the installation of a "breakaway" outfield fence. The varsity outfield fence also needs replacement, and the stadium needs a sound system. Some of this work will have to be done with parent and/or player "sweat equity," and every family should take part.

Plans for a spring break trip out of the state are still up in the air. Two places the team has travelled in the past - Palm Springs and Arizona - appear to be out due to differences in spring break weeks. Possibilities include Northern California, Las Vegas and Florida.

Fundraising falls mainly into three categories: Players are asked to send letters requesting donations to friends and family. In late January or early February during basketball season, the team holds a "Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction" event in the cafeteria. Finally, the varsity outfield fence is designed to hold advertising banners for individuals and companies. More information about each of these activities will be provided at a later time.

Montoya also noted that the team needs the following specific help:

Someone to keep the scorebook during games and to compile statistics
A Concession Stand coordinator to ensure people are signed up to work every game
A parent representative to the coaching staff

Also needed are JV and JV 2 coaches.

Further information on all these items will be made available in coming weeks. Questions may be directed to Marron at (503) 318-9678 or bhs.softball@verizon.net or to Montoya at coachin3@aol.com.

Player/Parent Meeting Set

A meeting for all returning and new Beaverton High School softball players has been set for Wednesday, October 10 at 6:00 pm in the BHS Cafeteria. All women who are considering playing softball for Beaverton High School in 2008 are required to attend, along with at least one parent for each player.

At this meeting, the new Varsity Coach will be introduced. In addition, details of the off-season work-out program, the Varsity's spring break trip, fundraising and other issues will be discussed.

Please note that this is a REQUIRED meeting for players and parents. If you have any questions, please contact Lem Montoya at coachin3@aol.com.