Tiffany Asher, [email protected]
GREEN RIVER, WYOMING — The Green River High School Girl’s softball team is geared and ready to hit the field this week for state. There are 22 girls on the team and are taking 15 girls to state this season. The WHSAA’s Softball State Championships will take place in Gillette, Wyoming on May 18, 19, and 20, 2023. Green River will play East in their first game on Thursday at 2 p.m.
Head Softball Coach Blair Aimone stated, “We made it to state, which is always a goal every year that we start. We’ve had some struggles, but the girls have persevered, keep showing up, and work hard every single day. We’ve had some huge wins against Natrona County and Worland. We’ve stuck with some pretty tough teams. We should actually have two wins against Rock Springs, but we just couldn’t pull them out. But overall the season has been good. You always want to have a winning record going to state but the ultimate goal is to go to state. And we’ve done that. The girls keep playing hard and I am really proud of this team and what they have overcome this season.” According to Aimone, in the first year, the Green River High School softball team didn’t win a game. “So the fact that we made it to state last year and this year, it is a pretty neat accomplishment on what these girls have done, what they have accomplished and progressed in their softball skills.”
“I think we’re going to turn some heads at state and anything can happen at any given day. We’re definitely going in as an underdog but this team has the talent. If we can play softball to our fullest potential we could come away with a pretty high seed at state, which is our goal, to place at state,” Aimone mentioned.
Aimone is originally from Colorado where softball is the number one woman’s sport. When she came to Wyoming, she mentioned that there was no softball. “Now we’re in three years. There are still some growing pains, and it’s just not well-known, but every year we keep getting more and more kids that come out and get more interest. The Green River Softball Association has increased its numbers since high school softball was implemented. It’s going to take a while to get to the level that other states are at but Wyoming is well on its way. Now that we have high school softball, I believe it will just continue to grow.”
Aimone is a passionate coach that trains her athletes on the fundamentals of softball. “We have high standards, high expectations and structure. The biggest goal is to work hard. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. You don’t have to have the most talented kids to be successful. So we really preach working hard and being good teammates. Working as a team is big for us because not one person wins or loses. It’s a team sport. We try to keep that component of coming to softball practice, working hard, and giving it your all. I can, we will attitude. I am a very passionate coach and we only continue to go up.”
Training for softball has many different components, whether you’re batting or playing the field. Aimone explained that she is a fundamental softball coach. “We try to train in every single component of the game every single day. We work on fielding and batting. Another component I feel is an undertaught field is base running. You don’t have to be the fastest base runner, you just have to be a smart one. We take time to work on those types of things. I like to bunt and manufacture runs. We want to hit solid line drives and solid contact.”
Aimone has been playing softball ever since she was 5 years old. “I went to college and played softball. I just have a passion for it and this game has just given me so much. It’s really taught me to work hard, give you that team component, and just have a passion for it. I just wanted to give the young ladies of Green River the same opportunities to love the sport the same way that I do. I want to give that passion to them. I love softball. I want to give back my passion and the way I can do that now is by coaching.”
Aimone is a passionate coach and wanted to say a few last words. “I want to thank the girls for showing up every day and giving it their all. I would like to also thank the great parents for supporting us. The administration of our school has had our back 100% and they love and see what we’re doing. I would like to also thank Tony Beardsley, our athletic director. He has been a huge support to this program as well as Craig Barringer, Darren Heslop, Jake Grantz, TJ Castillon, Alan Demaret. I would like to thank the assistant coaches as well. We have one of the best coaching staffs in the state. Thank you, Danielle Kendall, Mark Myde, Alissa Davis, and Madi Yoak. We are all on the same page and support each other 100%. It takes a village, even to build a softball program. All the support, it’s just awesome”
Aimone final words of advice are, “Work hard, and anything you do, do it with love and passion. Always put in 100%”
