By Will Menser, Contributing Writer
The Asbury softball team has certainly experienced heavy turnover after switching coaches so quickly the past few seasons. Now, Zack Parsons, a graduate of the nearby Georgetown College, has stepped in to lead the team as interim head coach this season. He has youth on his side, graduating in 2015, but he also has valuable experience from being the assistant coach at East Jessamine High School during one of its more successful runs. Not only that, he has experience coaching travel ball out of Lancaster, Kentucky.
Stepping in to fill the shoes of several highly experienced coaches won’t be easy, but with a lot of great freshman talent on the team and some great returning players, this may be the perfect opportunity for Parsons to establish himself on the collegiate coaching level. Half of the team’s 20-player roster consists of freshmen, and there are no returning seniors. Having a younger coach could be the key in developing such a young group this season and may ultimately benefit the team. Parsons certainly has the teaching experience to develop talent. Now he has the opportunity to showcase game management and his coaching skills as the interim coach.
The Eagles are coming off of a 14-20 season, so there is plenty of room for improvement. Thus far, they have won their first two games in a double-header against Alice-Lloyd, giving them a 2-0 start to the season, and they will play in their home opener on Feb. 22 against Taylor University. If the Eagles can manage to win both games against Taylor, then it will certainly be a promising and surging start for this team helmed by Parsons.
