Rookie head coaches leading softball powers at Cardington and Ridgedale

It isn't a stretch that Baylee Adams is a softball coach.

The 2020 Cardington graduate was an all-time great and one of the big reasons why the Pirate dynasty flourished in the late 2010s.

In her three varsity seasons, Cardington went to the Final Four each time, bringing home a pair of state runner-up trophies. As a sophomore, she earned All-Ohio honors after batting .596 with 20 doubles and 11 home runs, plus 58 RBIs and 15 steals. The next year the infielder batted .485 with 13 homers, 41 RBIs and 34 runs. Her senior year was wiped out due to the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

So, she has the bona fides and was welcomed back to the program last year as an assistant coach under Cardington softball architect Tod Brininger.

"I am living the dream," she said.

More on Pirates softball: Cardington working to regain its lofty spot on the softball scene

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Head coach so soon?

Adams figured someday she would take over the program; however, someday came much sooner than anticipated when Brininger retired after the 2023 season.

"Head coach? I don’t know about this soon," she admitted after just one season spent as an assistant. "I think after last year maybe I'd be the head coach down the road. I know Tod is getting to the end. When he said he was done, I was like, ‘Oh, this is real.’"

Adams got the job and retained the coaching staff, bringing back her father Allen Adams, who was Brininger's right-hand man throughout the decade of dominance, as well as Joel Partlow who has been a part of the program just as long.

"I was really nervous coming into this because I’m only 21," she said. "I am working at the school (as a high school credit recovery aide) and some of these girls are 17, so we’re close in age. The biggest thing was I wasn’t sure they would listen to me, but I haven’t had any problems at all. I think for the most part we get along really well together."

The early returns show it's working out. The Pirates won eight of their first 10 games to start the season to remain in the hunt for a Knox Morrow Athletic Conference championship in late April. They promise to be a factor again once the Division III postseason starts in May.

"I love these kids," she said. "It’s school and straight out to the softball field. I wouldn’t change a thing. They are awesome and great softball players who are fun to be around."

Ridgedale breaking in a rookie, too

Ridgedale was in a similar situation when longtime head coach Rick Ferguson retired after the 2023 season. Softball is a strong program for the school with past district and state success, and the Rockets have been more than solid in recent years.

"I don’t think I could have been handed a better team if I’m being honest, especially for it being my first year coaching softball," Ridgedale's new head coach Austin Riegel said. "With all our juniors and seniors and even the young ones, I’m learning a lot, and hopefully they’re learning a lot, too. They have a lot to offer for sure."

He inherited a turn-key operation. The Rockets were loaded with talent led by seniors Lilly Ruth and Aubrie Smith as well as junior Kenzie Delaney, who is the reigning Marion Star Softball Player of the Year, among others.

It was a job Reigel couldn't pass up.

"I’m relatively knew to the sport of softball, but I could see it was a neat opportunity for me to coach some of these girls since I teach in the building," he said. "I teach seventh grade science and sixth grade wellness, so I get to see all these girls during the school day. I’m excited and eager for the years to come."

Riegel is a 2017 Marion Harding grad with a baseball background, having played for Brett McCrery, who is now the softball coach for the Presidents.

"Coming into it, I knew there were a few rule differences, but it’s a completely different way you play the game, especially from an offensive standpoint," he said. "There are defensive things, too, that are completely different from baseball. It’s a completely different atmosphere going from a baseball background and to now getting into softball."

To compensate Riegel leans heavily on his assistants Jerry Delaney and Tamara Rossey.

"I don’t know if I can make it through a season without them. It’s really good," Riegel said of his aides.

The Rockets mustered through a slow start to the season due to weather-related postponements and find themselves striving for a Northwest Central Conference championship and a long tournament run in Division IV.

"It’s definitely different, but it’s a good different," Ruth said of Riegel's approach.

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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Adams and Riegel lead as rookie head coaches at Cardington, Ridgedale