April 2, 2001

New softball coach gets most out of experience

by Deirdre Burns Staff Writer

When Megan Bryant accepted the job as the new softball coach at Stony Brook University, she knew it would take time and patience to turn the program around. After all, the Seawolves started last season with a 10-game losing streak and finished 4-31.

One positive for Bryant was that the Seawolves were returning eight starters this season, and 10 players overall.

"I came in here with my eyes wide open, sleeves rolled up," Bryant said. "I was impressed with the level of confidence from the administration when I came in. I welcomed the challenge." Competing at the Division I level for the second straight year, the Seawolves are 7-7, including a 7-3 record at the Rebel Games in Florida. Bryant said the Seawolves' good start is the type of confidence booster that will help the team for the remainder of the season.

"What I reinforce to them is that we learn from wins as well as losses," she said. "I stress that we're performance based, not perfection based, and I tell the group all the time that we're a work in progress. In fact, that's my favorite phrase for this group." From the start, Bryant's main agenda was to reteach the fundamentals of the game while re-establishing a positive attitude, something that was lacking. It wouldn't hurt if the approach allowed the team to win a bunch of games in the process, Bryant hoped.

"We have an expectation level now," the new coach said. "The goal is to keep improving while playing the best softball possible. The winning will eventually take care of itself." Joining SBU with 15 years of coaching experience, including stops at Stetson, Drake and St. John's, Bryant is no stranger to making losing programs better quickly. Bryant, who coached for 11 years at Drake, went 13-44 in her first season. But look at the results the very next season: her team went 33-24, and she earned Coach of the Year honors in the Missouri Valley Conference.

In 1993, Drake won both the MVC regular season and tournament titles while compiling a 35-16 record (13-3 MVC), the most wins in one season in Drake history.

Senior shortstop/second baseman Corrine Vish agreed, adding that Bryant's experience and confidence were the main ingredients missing in last year's squad.

"We have an expectation level now," last season's team MVP and four-year veteran said. "Everybody's pretty psyched. It's completely different than it was last year. We've learned how to play to our ability." It also helped that Bryant believed in what her new team could do from the beginning.

"It wasn't like she came in her and said, 'You stink,'" Vish said.

"Everyone on this team has athletic ability and now it's finally coming out."