Towson softball coach Cas Hans went into this season unsure if he would have anyone to coach his junior varsity team.
Unable to find a coach of the future, Hans reached back to Towson?s past to see if former coach Paul Becker would be interested in returning to the program three years after retiring. Becker, who coached the varsity for 23 seasons, liked the proposition and came back to the team as an assistant, which allowed former assistant Clive Hsu to fill the void on the JV.
The move by Becker represents somewhat of a role reversal, as Hans was the Generals? JV coach during Becker?s final three years running the varsity. Becker, a former science teacher, is just fine with the switch, as they try to keep the Generals in contention in the race for the Baltimore County title.
“I?m just so happy to be involved with teaching young people again,” Becker said. “But I wouldn?t have come back as an assistant for anyone other than Cas.”
While Becker has taken a back seat to Hans this season, the pair doesn?t interact on the field like there is a coaching hierarchy. Both said that they constantly communicate throughout the game in an effort to make the best decisions for the team.
“We complement each other well,” Hans said. “We?re always bouncing ideasoff each other, and the girls know that and respect that.”
So far, Towson?s new coaching arrangement appears to be going smoothly as the Generals were 8-2 going into Tuesday?s game against Catonsville. Towson opened the week by scoring a combined nine runs in the fourth and fifth innings in a 13-3 rout against visiting Owings Mills.
Towson is making its push this season with a balanced team that is getting solid contributions from shortstop Patty Reilman (.609 avg., 27 RBI, 22 runs scored through Sunday) and pitcher Samantha Shrewsbury (.556, 16 RBI, 10 runs). Shrewsbury is also 5-0 through Monday.
“Having two coaches like we do is really a strength,” said Towson catcher Meghan Fahey, who entered the week batting .458 with seven RBI. “They make us do a lot of work, but they make it so much fun.”
