If there’s anything that new Plano East softball coach Lauren Peterson wants to instill in her players this upcoming 2023 season, it’s to rely on one another.

East enters the new campaign in search of an improvement over the last two seasons where the Lady Panthers finished last each time. In 2022, Plano East went 8-16 overall and just 3-11 in district. The season prior, Plano East finished with a record of 5-20 overall.

To turn it around, the team will have to count on some junior and senior leadership, along with some younger players, to get it done.

“I think that Reese Ramos is going to have a huge impact for us this year,” Peterson said. “I think that Marli Kennedy is going to have a big impact for us.”

According to Peterson, senior catcher Victoria Jackson-Sears is also a key player for the Lady Panthers in 2023, along with sophomore hurlers Jadyn Dawson and Riley Hopper.

“They’ve [Dawson and Hopper] both worked a lot in the offseason and over the summer,” she said. “We’re excited about what they bring, as well.”

Peterson, who played softball at Plano East in high school, wants her players to experience what she experienced during her playing days—a team that acts like a family.

“We told them when we first got here, think of our team as family,” she said. “That’s how it was when I was here and that’s what I’m trying to bring back so that our kids are playing for more than just themselves.”

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