(Corning) Griswold and SW Valley get together in a non-conference softball contest Tuesday night.
While it’s just a regular season game, this one means a little bit more to a lot of people involved. There will be a lot of familiarity between the two dugouts in Corning when the Timberwolves host the Tigers. Most notably, SW Valley coach Trevor Gipple is a Griswold alum and it’ll be his first time coaching against the Tigers. “This game has been circled on my calendar for quite some time. I’m from Griswold and always try to represent Griswold no matter where I am at. My girls know the value of going out and competing against a lot of kids that have spend numerous hours with me in the cage. Griswold is playing good ball. It’s just going to be an exciting game.”
As Gipple alluded to, he’s been involved with private hitting instruction for many of the Griswold players. These are players he’s typically cheering for, but will now be coaching against. “It’s going to be tough. Anna Kelley is just hitting the ball like crazy, and I don’t want to mention a lot of names because I’m sure I’ll miss someone. They are representing Power Alley well and themselves well.” He adds, “On the other side of the chalk we are competitors, but I think at the end of the day all the Griswold players and parents and even my kids know it’s a big softball family and I’m excited for the game. I wish them luck.”
Corner Conference Champion Griswold enters the week with a 9-6 overall record. SW Valley is 2-10, but they’ve showed a lot of development. “We’ve sat down and looked at past season’s stats. Their growth as individuals and as a team is really impressive. I’ve got some great hitters. I’ve got a team full of athletes and they are learning everyday. Our record doesn’t show how good this team is and we are yet to play our best ball.”
