Comets first-year head softball coach Mark Skapin, has the Comets off to a terrific start. (Photo courtesy of Cottey College)

Enter first-year head coach Mark Skapin, who through the first 10 games of the season has already guided the Comets to four victories.

"At 4-6 we are still not where we want to be, but we are competing extremely hard in every contest," Skapin told the Daily Mail. "The team is young and relatively inexperienced, so the experience in these close games will pay off over the long haul."

Prior to arriving at Cottey, Skapin was an assistant softball coach at Southeastern Community College in Whiteville, N.C. A press release distributed by Cottey said that Skapin "served as the hitting and defense coach leading the team to a strong second half finish. Prior to SCC, he was the head varsity softball coach for Holy Name High School in Ohio."

Skapin said he is embracing the challenges that lie ahead.

"The biggest key in turning the program around is changing the culture to one that embraces making mistakes, and learning from those mistakes to continue to grow daily," he said. "The program now focuses a vast majority of our time on skill-building and enhancing our softball IQ. I feel that it is much easier to have the team compete day in and day out when they can see growth every day."

Skapin emphasized his top priority is changing the culture, as he quickly looks to put his stamp on the Comet softball program.

"I have a completely different approach, and it isn't always easy to get every player to see the value in what we are doing right away," he said. "The first year is always the most challenging year to get everyone on the same page, but we are most definitely moving in the right direction."

Skapin discussed upcoming obstacles he and his squad will likely face.

"Cottey includes a trip to Europe during (students) sophomore year, so about a third of the team will be spending the first week of spring break in Italy," he said. "The rest of the team will take the first week and go home to engage in some active rest and recovery. "

Cottey split a twinbill with Evangel University on Monday, and will now remain idle until they return from spring break March 18 with a road contest against St. Louis Community College.

"When we return for training during the second week of spring break we will be preparing to kick off regional-play," Skapin said. "Our pitching has not nearly been as sharp as we need it to be to compete within the region and, although we are scoring a ton of runs we still need to work on our approach at the plate. The second half of the season will definitely test us as we start to get into the tougher portion of our schedule."

As Skapin noted, Cottey has been torching opposing pitchers to the tune of a .342 team batting average. The Comets have also been nearly flawless on the basepaths, swiping 29 bags in 32 attempts.

"We believe we can score runs with anyone," Skapin asserted. "Our biggest weaknesses have been pitching, and in not playing a more aggressive style of defense. We have moved people all over on defense trying to determine the best fit while promoting competition. We're still trying to gel and learn to play with one another."

Player breakdown

Skapin discussed several of his players who have had the biggest impact through the first 10 games of the season.

"(Starting pitcher) Marisa Jervis has been an incredibly important addition to this team," he said. "She is a stabilizing force in the circle and the team has so much confidence in her. She does a great job of spotting the ball and keeping hitters off-balance while maintaining great composure no matter the circumstances.

Skapin said Izzy Milligan, Michala Coffman, and Hannah Bridges have keyed the Comet offense.

"Izzy is hitting .543 and is on pace to break just about every offensive school record this season," he said. "She is also getting a ton of opportunities in the field and has yet to make an error. Izzy (previously) played at an extremely high level in Texas, and her love for the game stands out on every play."

Coffman, the team's leadoff hitter is out with a concussion.

"She too was on pace to break every offensive school record prior to getting injured," Skapin said. "Michala has already tied the school record for triples and is hitting .478."

Coffman is also the ace of the Comets pitching staff.

"We have sorely missed her pitching over the last four games," Skapin said. She is currently leading the team in ERA and has the ability to keep hitters off-balance with her screw ball, changeup, and drop-curve."

Bridges has also opened the season red-hot at the plate.

"Hannah is having a tremendous impact for us in the batters box," Skapin said, noting Bridges is hitting .333 with two home runs and five extra base hits, to go along with a team-leading 10 RBIs.

"The freshman class in general is buying into what we are doing and they come ready to work hard day in and day out," said the first-year coach. "I'm very proud of what they have accomplished so far."

Skapin continued: "I am extremely excited about the future of this program. The 2016 (recruiting) class is making major strides and the 2017 class coming in looks incredibly strong with recruits from California, Arizona, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri.

"I believe that if this group continues to work as hard as they have and the incoming class comes in hungry that this program can be turned around very quickly."

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Comets softball off to flying start, exceeds combined win total of past three seasons - Nevada Herald