New coach excited about AHS softball

Matt Allen has hit the ground running as the new softball coach at Apalachee High School.

Allen, who has previous head softball coaching experience, has been working with the Lady Wildcats this month as the 2014 season approaches. At this juncture, time is essential for the new AHS coach.

“I was hired late and did not have a whole lot of time to implement a full summer program,” Allen said. “I have been pleased with the Apalachee High School community and how they have responded. We’ve had great community support and the administration at Apalachee has been very strong.”

More than 30 potential Lady Wildcat players are taking part in the summer workouts.

“The kids have bought into what we are doing,” Allen said. “It has been great to see how coachable they are.”

The new AHS coach was most recently an assistant at Union Grove High School in Henry County. He has also worked as the head softball coach at Stockbridge High School.

“I had been around baseball my whole life,” Allen said. “When I got to Stockbridge I was asked about coaching softball.”
In terms of his coaching philosophy, Allen said he believes in being “fundamentally sound.”

“You can’t over coach defense,” he said. “The teams that make the basic plays are the teams who can compete right away.”

Another key, Allen said, is to develop strong pitchers.

Former AHS and Georgia State pitcher Kaitlyn Medlam will work with the program this fall bringing a great working knowledge of that portion of the game, Allen said.

Currently, the Lady Wildcats are working on the field Monday nights at 6 and Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 10.