Bakersfield College filled its vacant head softball coach position with two co-head coaches, Keith Drewry and Ryane Peterson.
Drewry has been an assistant coach with the team off and on for a total of 16 years, and played in high-level softball traveling leagues for ten years before that. Peterson was an assistant coach last season, and is a former softball player, having played two years at Fresno state, and two years at California State University Bakersfield.
This reshuffling came after Sandi Taylor became the BC interim athletic director after 23 years as the head coach of the softball program.
“Coming into the school year I knew that there was some transition with coach Sandi going to the administration. I knew that there was some part that I was going to be taking, but I didn’t know what that was,” said Drewry about first finding out that he was going to be taking over a large part of the softball program.
“I knew it wasn’t going to change what I do out there. Coaching with Sandi for such a long time I’ve dealt mainly with pitchers and catchers, but when we call offensive or defensive schemes in the games, that’s what I’ve done. So I’ve actually been like a head coach because [Taylor] allowed me to be like a head coach in certain aspects of the game.”
Drewry acknowledges that this dual position is almost like a probationary period for Peterson, a way to prepare her for eventually taking over the head coach position herself. “Ryane came on with us last year to help throw a little more batting practice with our girls. She’s got a ton of knowledge and a ton of experience, but not experience with coaching so she’s trying to acquire that.
“I don’t know what her plans are, if she wants to be at the junior college level or if she wants to be at the high school level but I think that most definitely this is what she wants to do for the rest of her life.”
The BC softball team ended the Spring 2012 season with a record of 7-31, and 5-13 in the Western State Conference. Both Taylor and Drewry put the last season down to personnel problems, a lack of positional depth and numerous injuries plagued the team throughout the last season.
“We didn’t have a bad ball club last year, it’s just that everybody else got a lot better and we just had a lot on injuries and had a lack of skill players,” said Drewry.
Currently it is softball’s off-season but Drewry seems thrilled with his team so far.
“We have a very good ball club this year, and you don’t come out and say that because you don’t want to jinx yourself, but when it comes down to putting players down on paper we’re deep in every position.”