Jan. 14, 2013
Every Monday leading up to the 2012-13 season RamblinWreck.com will feature “The Morning Perk”, where head softball coach Sharon Perkins answers a few questions and gives an inside look into the team, practice and the upcoming season.
Fans can submit questions they’d like answered via Twitter to @GaTechMarketing or by email to GTMarketing@athletics.gatech.edu.
The Morning Perk: You got your first week of practice in last week; what areas did you work on, what impressed you and what needs to be a little sharper?
Coach Perkins: It is great to have the entire team back and have the opportunity to practice together. Early in the week we focused on defense. As the week progressed, we focused on hitting. Then we ended the week with a scrimmage. There are always going to be things to work on, especially the first week back after two months off. But, we looked aggressive on the bases and have been making really good adjustments at the plate. I like how they took what they worked on during hitting practice and brought it into game play off of live pitchers. I look forward to them growing even more this week.
TMP: The team has depth at almost every position this season, how does that type of competition for playing time (if there is any) improve practices?
CP: We are fortunate to have so many skilled players at all positions. We have run into some bad luck with season ending and career ending injuries in the past few years. It has happened prior to the ACC tournament and regionals a couple of times. Competition at each position makes the entire team stronger and there is daily improvement. Every day is an opportunity for each player to “show out” and earn a spot.
TMP: Who is your most anticipated opponent this season?
CP: We are excited about our entire schedule this year as we play another very competitive schedule. We are trying something new this season and will open up at home this year. Then we will be going to Palm Springs and Orlando. We love to play opponents with a high RPI to prepare us for post-season. I’m personally looking forward to spring break when we get to go to Missouri and eat at G&D Pizza. 🙂 Cris and I lived there when we first got married.
TMP: What types of off-season activities does the team participate in?
CP: In the fall, we have a team outing. In the past we have camped out, played paintball, zip-lined, as well as other fun activities. This year we went to Andretti’s Indoor Karting & Games. After watching them in action, I now know who I would get in a car with and who shouldn’t be on the road. Haha!
TMP: What is a typical “day in the life” of Coach Sharon Perkins?
CP: Well, my days are pretty busy… I start out around 6:00 am. I am up and getting myself ready before I get my kids ready for school. After dropping them off at their schools, I have been trying to stick with a workout routine. This also helps me avoid some traffic on the drive in. This time of the year is mainly spent on preparing for our opponents. So doing that, along with typical office work is what we work on prior to our practice. After practice, I drive back home and go straight to my children’s activities. Our nights are pretty busy as our children are involved in basketball and softball (Katie) and basketball, tennis, and acting (Nick). There is a lot of juggling that goes on, but with the help of Cris and our friends, we are always able to get them to and from everything. As much time as I spend coaching my team; it’s a blast to help coach my daughter and work with her teammates. I am working on our verbal commitments for the 2019 class. Haha! Then at some point we will have dinner and get the kids cleaned up and in bed to start it all over again the next day.
