Evelyn Filleman
As the Harding softball team is gearing up for another season, some of the members attribute their success to the community found in the team.
“What drew me to Harding originally was the Christian aspect, and I love that we incorporate that in the team,” former outfielder Jordan Cabana said. “A core value we have on the team is family. Having a group of 20 best friends is really special…and that’s what I think makes us so successful.”
The Lady Bisons’ familial atmosphere stems directly from their coaches: head coach Ashley Reeves and assistant coach Bobby Reeves, who have a long history of working together.
“Our head coach, Coach Reeves, played for [Mr. Reeves] at Texas Tech; he was her coach,” senior Brooke Johnson said. “Then she ended up marrying his son. When she took the position here, she asked him to come be the assistant coach.”
Mr. Reeves is known by the group as “Mr. Coach.”
“When [Mr. Reeves] joined the team, we didn’t know what to call him,” Johnson said. “It would get really confusing if we just called them both ‘coach.’ The nickname stemmed from this YouTuber Domingo Ayala. [Ayala] plays this character and uses the phrase ‘Mr. Coach,’ and when we heard about it it just stuck.”
“Mr. Coach” is an important part of the team’s morale. Team members say he works hard to make every player feel seen and heard.
“Mr. Coach talks a lot about visualization and the mental side of the game,” Johnson said. “He makes sure we’re all doing okay mentally before he critiques us physically. Both coaches always tell us. ‘If you’re having a bad day, come let us know. You still have to do the work, it’s not an excuse, but we want to know what’s going on in your life.’”
Additionally, “Mr. Coach” and head coach Ashley Reeves do their best to welcome their players into their family.
“The coaches will set up dinners and holiday parties at their homes,” junior Kate Pierce said. “This helps the team to have fellowship outside of practices and get closer with one another…They also have a lot of fun together and are able to joke around with each other as well.”
The team’s relationship dynamic is centered on family, high standards and capacity for success. Through everything they do, they try to focus on God and one another while working together as a team to achieve their goals.
“We have a lot of new girls this year with a ton of talent,” Pierce said. “We have set some high goals, and I believe that we have the capability to achieve them. The year has been great so far, everyone has meshed really well. I am looking forward to a successful season.”
