Remarkable reign
Simms` 300 wins span impressive career at West Greene
Bill Simms has never been one to toot his own horn.
The West Greene softball coach didn无毛视频檛 tell anyone that he was closing in on his 300th win with the Lady Pioneers.
无毛视频淚 didn无毛视频檛 publicize it to anybody,无毛视频� Simms said.
He figured out pretty quickly before his team无毛视频檚 17-2, four-inning win at Avella on Tuesday the secret was out.
无毛视频淲hen I saw several buddies and friends show up at an away game at Polar Star at Avella I thought something无毛视频檚 up here,无毛视频� Simms said. 无毛视频淎nd when I saw my one daughter (former player Emily Simms) came home from Pitt to be there, then I kind of knew that they know.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 not sure how many of the players knew but they all congratulated me afterwards.无毛视频�
They saw another impressive game from Simms无毛视频� squad, which wrapped up Section 3-A play with an 8-2 record and improved to 11-4 overall.
Caitlin Whyte tossed a four-inning, three-hitter with five strikeouts and had two hits and RBI and Emmaline Beazell contributed two hits and three RBIs for the Lady Pioneers, who also got two RBIs apiece from Kendra Tharp, Madelyn Roberts and Rylee Yeager.
无毛视频淎 good win,无毛视频� said Simms, whose team is still in the running to claim a share of first place, likely needing a second win by Jefferson-Morgan over Carmichaels to forge a possible three-way tie.
Simms is in his 20th season as West Greene无毛视频檚 head coach, a job he took over in 2006.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e had a nice run of success on just trying to put out good teams every year,无毛视频� Simms said.
The Lady Pioneers have certainly done that and much more under Simms, whose career record stands at a sparkling 300-125 for a winning percentage of 71 percent.
Simms无毛视频� reign has included a record five consecutive WPIAL championships from 2016 to 2021 with back-to-back PIAA titles in 2017 and 2018.
It could无毛视频檝e easily been six or even seven WPIAL crowns and another state championship. West Greene was loaded in 2020, led by one the state无毛视频檚 top pitchers and hitters in Jade Renner, but that season was wiped out by the covid pandemic. In 2022 the Lady Pioneers lost in the WPIAL final to Union in a tight 3-2 battle.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a combination of a lot of talented girls over the years, lot of heartache and a lot of euphoria,无毛视频� Simms said. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e been to the top and we无毛视频檝e had some hard losses. Lot of good times though.无毛视频�
Simms remembers the tough defeats more than the glorious victories.
无毛视频淕etting 300 is special. But I无毛视频檓 unfortunately that guy who focuses on the tough losses more than the marquee wins,无毛视频� Simms said. 无毛视频淛ust the other day we lost a heartbreaker to Carmichaels, 3-1. Those are the games I say is there anything I could无毛视频檝e done as a coach to have helped my kids get over the top.无毛视频�
Simms, not surprisingly tried to downplay his impact in getting to 300.
无毛视频淲e had the great teams from 2016 on where you无毛视频檙e above average every year and you无毛视频檙e pushing 20-24 wins at times,无毛视频� Simms said. 无毛视频淚 think the group of 2019, that graduation class was 96-12 over four years, so you rack up a lot of wins with those kids and it boosts your total.无毛视频�
IN THE BEGINNING
Simms can无毛视频檛 recall who his first win came against.
无毛视频淚 remember the first team,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淭hat was a lot of the Burns girls.无毛视频�
Rachel Burns held the school record for wins until it was broken by Renner in 2019. Rebecca Burns was 3 for 4 with a two-run single in Simms无毛视频� first playoff victory, 4-2 over Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in 2006.
无毛视频淥ne of my best friend无毛视频檚 daughter urged me to coach the kids,无毛视频� Simms said. 无毛视频淗is daughter Chelsey Jones was on that team, and the Burns girls, Maggie Fike, I could name them all. I just can无毛视频檛 remember who that first win was against, but I knew we were pretty good.
无毛视频淚 certainly didn无毛视频檛 see all this coming though.无毛视频�
CHAMPIONSHIPS RUN
The two straight PIAA championships obviously standout for Simms, teams led by four-year stars Kaitlyn Rizor along with twin sisters McKenna and Madison Lampe.
无毛视频淚t ranks right up there, that无毛视频檚 for sure. If memory serves me correct, we无毛视频檙e still the only Class A team to win back-to-back,无毛视频� said Simms, whose statement is accurate. 无毛视频淲e were there three straight years and were one run away from being there four straight years and potentially playing Williams Valley four years in a row. So a lot of great memories there.无毛视频�
The fifth WPIAL title rubbed out any naysayers who felt it was the one spectacular class that led to all of Simms无毛视频� and West Greene无毛视频檚 success.
无毛视频淎lso ranking right up there is the 2021 team that didn无毛视频檛 win the state when we got beat by Tri-Valley in a walk-off, because that was after the twins, and everybody maybe doesn无毛视频檛 know that you still have a good team,无毛视频� Simms said. 无毛视频淥ur pitcher who went to Saint Vincent, Kiley Meek, had just an unfathomable year. That was a fun ride, too.无毛视频�
ONE YEAR AT TIME
Simms said he still enjoys coaching at West Greene.
无毛视频淭here are some drawbacks to it just like anything,无毛视频� Simms said. 无毛视频淚 think the times and pressure have changed. You get a little more parent involvement in that way but that无毛视频檚 up and down in every sport, let alone what we无毛视频檙e doing.
无毛视频淏ut it无毛视频檚 a lot more good than bad. It无毛视频檚 still fun to do. I无毛视频檝e had a little bit of turnover in my coaching staff this particular year so you无毛视频檝e got a lot of brand new people around. I look back at all the guys and women who have helped me, it无毛视频檚 just a pretty good laundry list.
无毛视频淚 go year by year and not try to project ahead too far. The old saying is if you无毛视频檙e thinking about retiring then it无毛视频檚 time to retire anyway. But I haven无毛视频檛 truly felt yet that calling to hang it up. I无毛视频檓 getting to around the tail end of my teaching career so it无毛视频檚 probably going to be a bundle package one of these years.无毛视频�
Simms admits he无毛视频檚 not as loud as he used to be.
无毛视频淚 think having daughters and coaching girls has mellowed me,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淲hen I first started coaching girls, my dad, who was a great influence on my life, was about ready to strangle me. He无毛视频檇 say you can无毛视频檛 yell at them like that,无毛视频� Simms added with a chuckle. 无毛视频淚 have toned it down a bit over the years.无毛视频�
HONORING THE PAST
Simms is aware of the West Greene softball tradition that preceded him.
无毛视频淚ronically enough I hit what everyone无毛视频檚 calling a milestone and a guy that was the longtime softball coach before me that had a couple accolades at the school, too, just passed away,无毛视频� Simms pointed out. 无毛视频淏ill DeVore was the coach in the 1980s whenever Helen Wise and that crew went to the tournament.无毛视频�
DeVore, who died at age 79 on Saturday, guided the Lady Pioneers to two section titles in 15 years and his 1983 team reached the WPIAL semifinals and won a PIAA playoff game.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 pretty bittersweet when you lose that guy and then you do this the next day or two,无毛视频� Simms said. 无毛视频淚t doesn无毛视频檛 put a damper on it but I无毛视频檇 love to have had him around for this.无毛视频�
LEARNING FROM THE BEST
Simms无毛视频� teams are known to be well prepared for each game and fundamentally sound.
Simms stressed he evolved as a coach thanks to being very observant of other great coaches he无毛视频檚 seen over the years, and not just in softball.
无毛视频淚 look at a guy up at Burgettstown, Mark Deer, who无毛视频檚 coached softball for a long time and always had great teams back to the Romney Waters era,无毛视频� Simms said. 无毛视频淵ou look at Chartiers-Houston and what Trish (Alderson) does over there, where they无毛视频檙e just good every year. I think you try to model yourself around that.无毛视频�
He picked up plenty in his early days at West Greene.
无毛视频淎s I grew up as a young guy coming through the AD ranks, two very influential guys on me, watching them coach and trying to model myself after them, were one basketball coach and one baseball coach,无毛视频� Simms said.
无毛视频淥ne was Joe Maize over at Peters Township, who无毛视频檚 actually a Waynesburg guy. He just always had a great team at Peters Township. And probably my biggest mentor-type guy outside of West Greene, I always watched the guy win, win, win, and that was Ron Faust, the basketball coach over at Wash High.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檇 always try to just pick their brains and try to be a sponge and try to pick up anything that can give you an edge.无毛视频�
Simms has great respect for both.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檇 be at an AD meeting and Joe Maize would be sitting down there with a yellow legal pad and he无毛视频檇 fill that thing up and I无毛视频檇 say, 无毛视频榃hat are you writing?无毛视频� And he无毛视频檇 say I无毛视频檓 just laying out my daily practice routine. I无毛视频檇 just peek at it.
无毛视频淵ou try to emulate a little bit. This guy无毛视频檚 won over 400 games and has a field named after him. That无毛视频檚 a pretty good guy to try to model yourself after. Ron Faust, 52 victories in a row, two state titles. Why wouldn无毛视频檛 you want to be like that guy?无毛视频�
GROUP EFFORT
Simms lauded all those around him for reaching the 300 milestone.
无毛视频淭o have a program as successful as we无毛视频檝e had, you can无毛视频檛 give just one person credit for all that,无毛视频� Simms said. 无毛视频淎ll the coaches that have helped me over the years, all the administrative support we无毛视频檝e received, the parents driving their kids to camps and lessons and travel ball and supporting the team, the community, they无毛视频檙e all part of this.
无毛视频淏ut it all comes down to the players. You无毛视频檝e got to have the horses. They无毛视频檙e the ones who have done it. They无毛视频檙e the ones who should get most of the credit for that 300 number.无毛视频�