Green Hornets 16U Softball Coaches Get More Players On Deck

When Kelly Burke and Meredith McAlister were approached about leading Green Hornets teams, the proposition lobbed to them was anything but a softball.

Long hours? The responsibility of mentoring young girls? Both volunteers were familiar with those challenges — McAlister is the head coach for the state-champion varsity softball squad at Severna Park High School and Burke is one of her assistant coaches — but this role would further consume their schedules.

Neither coach flinched at the opportunity.

Burke started coaching softball with Green Hornets three years ago after serving as basketball coach for three years prior.

Asked why he wanted to coach Green Hornets softball, he said, “I thought it could make a difference for kids. Tell them, ‘You can do it. Give it a try.’ Other coaches seemed to coach [only] their best players.”

He led two 14U teams and recruited McAlister in 2017 to join him. Now, the volunteers jointly coach the 16U team. Their motivation is twofold: improve the pipeline of players trying out for Severna Park High School while also generating more interest in the sport overall.

Softball commissioner Judy Tacyn noted that their involvement has boosted interest immensely.

“Under them, we’ve increased our eighth-grade player pipeline from barely creating a 14U rec team and one ninth-grader trying out for the high school to two 14U travel teams and one rec team and about 15 freshmen sprinkled between JV and varsity - a couple freshmen even playing varsity all season.”

With the Green Hornets, Burke said the coaching style is encouraging.

“I played a lot of sports as an adult and I performed better when the pressure was on me from the sport, not from a coach or teammates,” Burke said. “I don’t want [the girls] to start doubting anything. If they swing at a pitch, I tell them, ‘If you like it, I like it.’”

McAlister and Burke have recruited former and current Falcons to help them with practice drills, giving the Green Hornets girls even more tips from accomplished athletes.

“I’ll say, ‘Why don’t you teach them how to pick a ball at first base? How do you make a tag at third?’” McAlister explained. “We can rely on other people.”

Even with that help, the two coaches estimate that they volunteer roughly 40 hours per week to Green Hornets during the summer and another 20 to 25 hours during fall and winter months. Last spring, they had high school practice six days a week while their Green Hornets teams were playing four to five days a week. It truly is a year-round job.

“Any resting moment, I’m thinking about softball,” Burke said.

Even though Burke and McAlister want to develop players that will don the Falcons uniform, they show no favoritism, giving just as much coaching to players who attend Northeast, Chesapeake, Broadneck and Old Mill high schools or even private schools.

“It’s cool to see other girls develop,” Burke said. “You care as much about those girls as the ones in your program.”

Said McAlister, “The Green Hornets rec program gives them a great base to learn fundamentals and see if they like the sport. … It’s nice that we’re giving these kids the opportunity to play more. The kids who get as much experience as they can are more likely to be better.”