Tommy Staples

Coach Lindsay Spanton is ready for another successful season.

As Benilde-St. Margaret’s is gearing up for another season of spring sports, the softball program is looking a little different this year. The BSM softball program is seeing a shift in its coaching staff, as former assistant coach Lindsay Spanton was named head coach at the end of last season. This season is pivotal as it is Spanton’s first year as head coach, and the program is graduating three seniors.

Spanton played college softball at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Her love of the game led her to see the game from a different perspective: coaching. Spanton joined the BSM softball program at the beginning of the 2023 season as an assistant coach. Spanton’s transition to head coach was nothing but slick, as she knows most player in the program well. Senior captain Brooklyn Riley acknowledges how easy this transition was on the players, “She knows most of us really well and she already knows what we need to succeed,” Riley said.

We’re feeling everything out right now, just because she’s new to this, and she’s never been a head coach, but otherwise, it’s kind of stayed the same, just because we’ve all played together for so long,”

The captains are not concerned with this transition relating to the success of the team. The program is pretty much the same as last year, as they only graduated one senior last season. The team has the same goal as last year: get to the state tournament. “It might come out a little different, just because Lindsay’s more of a strategy [coach]… So our method might be a little different, but I think the end result would be really similar,” Riley said.

While Spanton has had coaching experience, this is her first season as a head coach. Even though it was an almost seamless change in the program, there are still a few things that will be impacted by the change, specifically pre season. The captains have put a lot of preparation and planning into the season, but it has been a little bit harder with this change. Senior captain Maddie Murry said that this transition has been very easy with her being an assistant the last two seasons, but preparing and planning has been a little different this year. “We’re feeling everything out right now, just because she’s new to this, and she’s never been a head coach, but otherwise, it’s kind of stayed the same, just because we’ve all played together for so long,” Murry said.

The Red Knights are looking forward to Spanton’s career as a head coach at BSM and are ready to get to work this season. Their next game is Thursday, May 1st against Chaska. The softball program is looking forward to another successful year and working towards the state tournament.