Coaches Corner for April 3rd: Bob Ligouri, DMACC Softball

with us on Coach's Corner here in KWBG going to talk some DMAQ softball Bob Ligori joining us as the Bears get ready for just a really really challenging next week where they've got NYAC slated for Monday Kirkwood on Wednesday Northeast Iowa on Thursday here's the positive part though Bob I've been getting questions actually saw a couple people that were like hey when's DMAQ going to play at home and I said soon very very soon finally Bob you guys get a chance to come home and play on that beautiful field well you know Ryan it's I've never and I've coached it on for a long time I've never had a team play 35 of their first 37 games away from home and so we've been we've been up there one day had a doubleheader won it but you know it's gonna be nice to get back to a little bit and we have a lot of games here at the end that are gonna be here at home and whether hopefully it'll be good and you know we love it because we love playing at home we don't we haven't lost very often there so we can't wait to get home it is crazy when I looked at your schedule yesterday and I saw 18 and 3 on the road 2 and 0 at home and then obviously there's some neutral site games in there as well but Bob have you ever had a team that has only played two games at home this late into the season no no and and you know this team has played without question Ryan the toughest schedule that I've ever had a team play you know since we started the program at DMACC so this team that we have right now we we are we played what 14 games against division one teams and JCA division one then we've also played the defending national champion and they currently ranked number one team at the time we've also played both of those teams and the number four so all on the either a neutral or on the road so you know we've been toughened up and you know we're excited about it we came through it you know we're we're 30 and 7 and feel really good about our team and the chemistry that we've been able to develop well and you're doing what you normally do and that's you'll play anyone anytime anyplace and I saw you'd gone down to Alabama and I thought did did really well when you were down in Alabama early in the season Kansas looked like it was pretty good to you Missouri I know there were some Tennessee spots as well I mean you kind of have gone anywhere and everywhere this year Bob well you know it's it's you always make a choice as a coach you you know you can either build your schedule to pad your record or you can good build your schedule to pad your team and we've made that decision that you know we're gonna pad our team in terms of playing tough competition you know take it how whatever comes and learn from it rather than go out there and try to find opponents you know that you know we can roll and it's paid off for us in the past and hopefully it'll pay off for us this year something else you told me off air before we got started here and there's something that I had questions about because it's always this time of year health and it sounds like we're getting some girls back that hadn't had a chance to to get into the lineup every day and boy I love to hear that Bob because we're in that part of the season now early April this is where we got to start putting together just a couple of streaks here and there I don't feel like we need to peek yet but I like to see a couple of streaks put together here yeah you know it's we went over and played Kirkwood when they were ranked you know in the I think number four in the country and we had three starters out and still split with them over there gradually we get some back some of them we won't get back but you know at one time we had four starters that one of them was an all-region player JC Anderson you know she's been out all all years since hurting her shoulders sliding at home she now hits but she can't play in the field yet she has a memory least we lost our leading hitter Lucy Weber to meniscus in her knee I doubt that she'll be back so you know we have some people gone but we also have a fairly deep team and we've got a really committed team and you know you got I mean that's part of sports you got to take the way the dice roll and you got to play you can't feel sorry for yourself that's for sure because no one else is going to well I knew coming into this season Bob I felt like the hitting as we just kind of alluded to was gonna be pretty strong I really liked your pitching staff and I want you to talk about them a little bit because you guys have gone through just an unbelievable schedule 1.54 ERA Bob how is this happening and I know you're gonna say it's all about the girls and then putting in time but man that is just impressive well than a Heller and and baby Richards have worked very well with our pitching staff and you know it's one thing about working well with people but you got to have players that are willing to really put in a time and make the commitment Kiara jungers she's gonna go to Creighton she's just was named national pitcher of the week last yesterday and that's her second national pitcher of the week award already this year and then Jackie boss had just been phenomenal and her development and the great thing this year is that Brooklyn Baumgardner who is also a sophomore she is just improved dramatically over over last year and so it gives us a three-headed you know pitching staff that we're comfortable throwing against anybody and you know that we have a freshman that's come in and and she can you know pitch in relief and has done a good job in in the grace harem and so we feel really good about our pitching staff their work ethic their attitude they support each other there's no jealousy and you know if you have that kind of an attitude and you have great coaches that are working with them good things can happen well something else that has been really good and I don't know if I probably don't talk about it enough and I should but Bob what about this defense this year you guys are not allowing things to kind of blow up in innings where all of a sudden you know a ground ball turns into a boot turns into a double turns it I mean you guys are fielding the softball pretty dang well well it's it's kind of interesting because we Morgan Nuroff who was you know a reserve last year had one of the most incredible offseason's that we've ever seen and so in terms of improvement and she is probably the best I've had some division one coaches tell me that she's the best defensive third baseman in the state at any level and so she's played a third which allowed us to move Macy Rylin to the outfield and Aaron Aids is now playing second base in this regional caliber there she's first team all region shortstop a year ago she's playing second and then we have a freshman who came in from Valley more Mackenzie molar who has just you know done a really good job at shortstop for so we're athletic Dana Blake and left field and Bri Tegas Tegas was an all-american she's moved to center Dana Blake's a freshman from Indianola a lot of people remember her in high school and she's in left field and then a first base we've had a couple of people that have played over there done really well so Brooklyn tear Lincoln they're Gregory and Mo Purdy vault kind of shared that spot and Callie Richards has just done phenomenal as a freshman that's Bailey's younger sister and she's coming as a catcher and just you know taken without missing a beat and so we're very very fortunate that we've have good athletes and we're very athletic and they play well there and again you and I both know if you don't have the work ethic it doesn't make any difference and they get to work ethic no it does not final thing before I let you go coach congratulations I saw big number was celebrated I think it was about a week ago or so over thirteen hundred wins now Bob tell me how in the heck are you in in thirteen hundred games my friend well I could tell you three things number one is I have a supportive wife that allowed me to coach that long yes you do that's one thing is a true blessing and the other the other two things are that you don't win those games without great assistant coaches I've been truly blessed I have a great assistance and honestly it's a player's game and any victory that you have is a tribute to your players it's not a tribute to you know magic fairy dust of the coach you know sprinkles on their head and I've been really blessed with great players and you know that that the credit goes to them now what it does now one accomplishment Bob congratulations thank you so much for some time best of luck as you finally get to come back home next week and I will talk to you in here real soon hey thank you very much right you bet Bob LeGore again joining us D Mac softball and coaches corner