Peter Baran of Tyrone was elected by the Tyrone Area School Board on November 11 as the new head coach of the varsity softball team.

The Eagle Eye recently interviewed Coach Baran about his plans and the future of Tyrone softball:

Eagle Eye: How many years of coaching experience do you have?

Peter Baran: 4

EE: Where have you coached and what teams?

PB: I’ve coached league ball, from little league up to 18U. Recently I was the Jr. High assistant coach, and the U14 Pink Panthers head coach and founder.

EE: Why did you choose to apply for the job?

PB: I love to coach softball. I know we can turn this program around starting this season.

EE: How did you first get involved with softball?

PB: I started coaching my daughter’s little league softball team.

EE: Can you tell us a bit about the rest of your staff?

PB: Harry Gearhart, Tyrone’s former Jr. High head coach, will now be the Varsity Assistant coach. Jim Jones will be the new Jr. High Head Coach. I am extremely lucky to have  very experienced coach’s with me. We currently have two positions not filled yet. The JV Head Coach and the Jr. High Assistant Coach.

EE: In recent years Tyrone has had a difficult time scoring runs. How do you plan to overcome this challenge?

PB: First, by having very good pitching and defense, which will keep the runs against down. Also, of course we will have to hit. We will work at practices very heavily on this, by working on many different types of drills, over and over again throughout practice.

EE: Who do you think is going to step up this year?

PB: I believe we have to step up as a team. We have a solid group of returning players. I am also very excited about the freshman players coming up.

EE: What are your goals for the upcoming season?

PB: We will have high expectations, and expect to win each game. once we start winning, they will get hungry for it more and more.

EE: What does getting this job mean to you?

PB: This means a lot to me. I have the privilege of coaching a great bunch of players, and I truly believe they have the ability to win.

EE: What would you also like to do to improve the team?

PB: We have to improve all aspects of the game, which starts at practice. We will expect the players to be on time or early. I expect them to hustle 100% of the team, and they need to be great teammates to each other. They also need to work hard, dedicate their time, respect others, and show improvement after every practice and game. We also need to work in the offseason with clinic and player development.

EE: What is your game plan for this year?

PB: My plan for this year and future years, is to get the younger girls interested in softball, and to develop them so that they have experience before school ball starts. We also plan to develop pitching at younger ages. These players have to want to play softball, and want to be great players. We need to teach the saying one team above an individual, and to play for the name on the front of the jersey, not the back. This will allow us to achieve our goals, which is to be a competitive and winning team. I am very excited about this season, and for the future seasons of the Lady Eagles softball team.