LEBANON — Prior to last month, Bethany Robinson had not thrown a softball since she hung up her cleats upon graduating from Mascoma High in 2012.
But now Robinson is the head softball coach at Lebanon High, where she works as the attendance secretary, as she tries to lead the Raiders out of the doldrums.
“I have read the rulebook more times than I care to admit. I’ve watched more YouTube videos than I care to admit,” Robinson said. “I haven’t watched Netflix in probably two weeks, because I watch softball YouTube videos all day. What else am I supposed to do? I’ve checked out the USA Softball site, consistently doing any research I can.”
Lebanon finished 3-10 in last year’s pandemic-shortened season, and those three wins represented significant progress — the Raiders’ first victory of 2021 snapped a 44-game losing streak that dated back to 2017. The school then parted ways with Ray Pettersen, who had led the program for five seasons and won a total of seven games. As the spring approached, it became a very real question whether Lebanon would be able to field a team.
Robinson didn’t want to see the Raiders miss out on the season, so she approached athletic director Mike Stone and let him know she would be willing to step up in any role he needed. She did have some coaching experience, as the spirit coach at Mascoma, but hadn’t played softball even in a recreational league since high school.
“She’s in our school system; she sees the kids every day,” Stone said. “The girls respect her and appreciate her. The culture has been positive. She’s going to show up and do the best she can and try to give these kids the best experience she can.”
Sherry Owens, a former college softball player and assistant travel ball coach, joined Robinson’s staff as a volunteer assistant. Owens, who Robinson called “the perfect positive enforcer,” focuses primarily on pitching, which Robinson said she knew nothing about coming in.
With just two coaches and a team that includes nine sophomores — none of whom played at the varsity level last year — as well as two freshmen on the 16-player roster, finding time to get everyone the work they need in practice can be tough. But junior Ashlee Blashock, who started at shortstop and pitched in relief during the Raiders’ 25-11 loss to Winnisquam in their opening game Monday afternoon, said she and the other upperclassmen have stepped into a leadership role alongside Robinson.
“(Robinson) has been really good at keeping us at the expectation that we are a varsity team and should be acting at the varsity level, not only in attitude, but in playing,” Blashock said. “She has high expectations only because she knows that we can reach them. She does push us constantly, teaching us new things and taking the time to work on each player one-on-one.”
Lebanon’s pitchers struggled to find the strike zone Monday, but the Raiders’ bats looked ready to go, with Blashock collecting three hits and senior catcher Makayla Finnell hitting a double and a single in her first two at-bats. Robinson’s goal is for Lebanon to win at least four games this season to improve on last year’s total.
Although she took the job at the last minute, Robinson said she intends to be more than a stopgap — she wants to stick around long enough to establish her own culture.
“I feel committed to the girls right now,” Robinson said. “It would be hard for me to leave after the season, seeing the growth that they’re already making. I feel like I’ll be here for a few years, for sure.
“They’ve had a lot of coaches turn over, and at this point, they just expect people to leave. I want to break that chain for them.”
Benjamin Rosenberg can be reached at brosenberg@vnews.com or 603-727-3302.