Bianca Gonzalez has a simple goal for the Snyder softball team — she wants the players to have discipline.
Gonzalez was named the new softball coach this week, replacing Jan Kruse, who will continue to coach basketball for the Lady Tigers. The 1995 Snyder High School graduate served as Lamesa’s head softball coach for eight seasons and also coached Loraine for three years.
She is no stranger to the Snyder softball program as her niece, Naudia Gonzalez, was a member of Snyder’s state softball tournament teams of 2014 and 2015.
“I am really excited,” Gonzalez said of taking over the softball program.
She hopes more players will get interested in playing next season, especially since the team made the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. She credited Kruse and assistant coach A’Lex Koonce-Lutz for turning the program around.
“I definitely want to build on what they started this season. I am going to be a little different, though,” Gonzalez said.
The first thing she wants to do is promote the program within the Snyder High School hallways.
“I want to build our numbers,” she said. “We are going to work hard on all aspects of the game. We are going to be more disciplined at the plate and in the field.”
Gonzalez also plans to work with the summer league teams because they will be the feeder program for future squads. She plans to conduct weekly sessions next season to teach players the fundamentals, similar to the baseball program’s Tiger Buds.
“I want our players to mentor the younger kids,” Gonzalez said. “I want to work with those programs because by the time our season is over, they are wrapping up, too. We need to help those players as much as we can.”
With several players returning from the District 5-4A runner-up team, Gonzalez knows she has talent. The JV team also played well and some of those players will help next season.
“I want to put Snyder softball back up on the map. There was a good start to that this season,” she said.
Gonzalez also hopes her hiring will lead to consistency in the program. Koonce-Lutz will remain on the staff, which Gonzalez said will be a big benefit.
“The players know her. I coached her and she has done a great job. I want to see more consistency in the program. That is what builds programs,” she said.