Sumter Sports Talk - Buddy Truett, LMA Softball

🥎🎙️ On this episode of Sumter Sports Talk, I sit down with three-time state champion softball coach Buddy Truett of the LMA Swampcats. Coach Truett shares his coaching journey, the lessons he’s learned throughout his career, and the foundation that helped lead the Swampcats to three consecutive state championships. We discuss building a winning culture, developing players, and what it takes to sustain success at a championship level. Don’t miss this conversation with one of the most successful coaches in South Carolina high school softball. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:10

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SPEAKER_01 0:47

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

So, coach, you are the Lawrence Manning softball coach, and y'all are coming off y'all's third straight state title. What was that experience like and how has that been for you?

SPEAKER_01 0:59

Well, it's been a blessing to have all the seniors go out the same way that a few of them prior. My daughter with the first one and my old assistant, George Kaczynski, his daughter, the second one. So it was nice to have all the seniors go out. And that was the the last bit of the girls that we coached in JV.

SPEAKER_00 1:29

Yeah, that's awesome. So speaking of JV, so you were the JV coach before taking the varsity job. Is that how long did you coach JV for until that?

SPEAKER_01 1:40

Uh we we did uh JV three years. Three years.

SPEAKER_00 1:43

And then now you've been the coach five years for varsity. So a lot of these players, I mean, that has to be cool watching them grow up and then finishing it off with a state title, like you just said, that has to be awesome.

SPEAKER_01 1:55

Yeah, that was that was special.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

Yeah. So you mentioned before off air that you did some travel ball. Was that have you do you do that up to today, or is that something you previously did?

SPEAKER_01 2:08

Or well, um I I was blessed with three daughters. So um my oldest, uh, she just graduated it m um May 1st. Uh she played four years of college softball. So uh we started, she started playing when she was five, and then we started an eight U travel team, had a bunch of bunch of girls around around this area. We had uh when we finished um 16U, we had five different high school players on the team. Um they was pretty successful, and then it went to my second one coming up in the ranks, and so um travel ball was a uh a big feat to get started, and um everybody looked forward to a high school ball after that.

SPEAKER_00 3:05

Yeah, so let's backtrack and talk about you. What like got you into coaching? Did you play baseball growing up or what what was kind of your background?

SPEAKER_01 3:14

Yeah, um I played um baseball um uh my pretty much my whole life. Um played at Lawrence Manning, graduated from Lawrence Manning. My brother graduated from Lawrence Manning. So uh, you know, I was played the cards that good Lord blessed me with.

SPEAKER_00 3:32

Yeah. One thing I've noticed growing up in Sumter and the Manning area as well is softball is so competitive down here all around the state. I mean, you see it on TV too, and yeah, with the World Series going on, and I just like I remember I can't remember what year it was. I went to a Wilson Hall Hornets Manning, this was a while ago, state title game, softball, and it was slam-packed. I mean, it it blew my mind how packed it was. So I don't want to say that it's like doesn't go unnoticed, but like I think a lot of people, especially not uh from around here, just don't understand how competitive softball is. What's kind of your take on that? And how popular?

SPEAKER_01 4:12

Yeah, it's it's got um uh at any given time during softball season, you can cut on the TV and watch uh a college softball game. So that that helps tremendously, but but as far as um softball, the intensity is it's right there on you. It's all closed, compact, a lot more energy that I I I feel like than baseball. Yeah. Um but yeah, it's uh got a big following around these areas.

SPEAKER_00 4:44

Yeah, it kind of feels like a little more like fast paced than baseball, too. It's like for your for your regular person who might not be might might not be into sports or whatever, I feel like it'd be easier for them to get into softball just because it's like faster paced. I mean, that's just kind of how I feel from it. But is there so I mean there's no secret, you've won the last three state titles that you have a way of doing things and it's working. Is there something different about your coaching that you like? Is there a f or I don't want to say favoritism, like a specific thing that you think you do that helps coaching your team versus like maybe what other coaches do?

SPEAKER_01 5:29

Yeah, I don't know about all that. Um I guess the the biggest thing is um we like to have fun. Um I let them you know sometimes they call me a big pushover, but uh but I mean when when uh we we try to do our work, do it the right way, um, and then have fun um on every practice and all that, so it wouldn't be a a burden for them to come. Um so I I think that mentality um it makes it easier for them. And we have a lot of competition amongst ourselves. Um you know, stats is a big key to the way I coach um, especially offensively. Um and it's there for them to see. Uh so uh we work on that, and I mean the best nine stars. Right. So that's the way I do it.

SPEAKER_00 6:41

How different, and it doesn't even have to be these past three teams, the two before that as well, and even going back to JV, or just whenever you coached, how what's been the difference that you've seen? Do you feel like most of your teams have played similar style? It's just like kind of the same thing, just executing it right, or do you have to adjust some years depending on who you have?

SPEAKER_01 7:04

Or yeah, we got um a lot of times, and that's what's um uh been a blessing with this group that that we can adjust on the fly. Um uh we had Laney Kacinski and um Kaylee Palmino Avens, um, our two main pitchers up till this last year. Yeah um and they they finally graduated and and we had some young pitchers that stepped up. So um that's when you can adjust uh and got the the players that we have. We got an abundance of players at Lawrence Manning, so and they see it. We we kind of uh my assistant coaches, uh Coach Lisa R that coaches J V. She's she's been around softball a a while, so um she helps to keep me straight, and we try to do everything the same way from JV to varsity. Um and that makes a uh a big difference in the transition. Um so the program itself tries to do it one way and and makes it easier for the transition.

SPEAKER_00 8:25

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SPEAKER_01 9:19

Like absolutely. I mean, um you can you can tell the ones that play travel ball um just by looking at them at um and seeing them on on the field, you can tell the ones that's uh that's homed in, um that's um polished their their traits, so say. Um but at the end of the day we we say high school trumps travel ball. Right. So long as more than welcome to to play travel ball year round, but when it comes to school ball, it's school ball only.

SPEAKER_00 9:59

Yeah. Did you I know you said y'all are deep competitive, but were there any players that might have surprised you this year that were really key to your state championship run this specific year? Any players that stand out?

SPEAKER_01 10:12

I mean, um there were there was multiple ones. Uh uh the first one uh had Lily Webborn. Um she was a senior and and for some reason uh every playoff starts of the playoffs, she plays amazingly from playoffs into a championship series. So I mean she gives and she's a gamer um quiet and uh she stands out in the playoffs, so she makes some key plays for us um every year. Um uh Caroline Welch pitch pitch well. Uh she's young. Uh she's also our catcher, so we had to adjust. Um we got uh Livia Welch that pretty much did it our catching when we had to pull Caroline to do the pitching, so a lot of the young ones stepped up and and and contributed as well.

SPEAKER_00 11:17

What's it like having a coaching a child? You said you had four daughters, three, three, sorry. That and you've coached them all?

SPEAKER_01 11:26

Uh I hadn't um coached uh small one now. Uh she's in the sixth grade, she got to play for the B team for the first time at Larris Manning. So um she's coming along. But the other ones, uh my oldest Madison and and Haley, I I've coached them.

SPEAKER_00 11:44

Okay, well what's that been like being able to just coach your child? I mean, is it is it hard to treat them the same as another player? Is it easy or does it just kind of depend?

SPEAKER_01 11:56

Well, they they say I'm harder on them than anybody, and and and naturally uh you don't want to show favoritism at all, so you do um I try to coach like I was coached um when I was growing up, so yeah, I try to give them all equal opportunities. Uh and like say I I was pretty tough on them growing up.

SPEAKER_00 12:26

What can I feel like a lot of coaches don't get asked this question, maybe they do, I don't know. But like what can you earn or what have you learned just from the players being like what can you take away coaching these girls over the years that has just helped you in anything?

SPEAKER_01 12:44

Well, uh that's a that's a fine line. I mean, it's like growing up playing baseball, you can tell boys uh you can use rever reverse psychology on them and say you can't do that. Right. And they're gonna try their best to prove you wrong. Girls, on the other hand, you got to walk that that that um tightrope and you gotta say, you know, hey, you can do it, make you believe it. It's more of making them believe in their self than the pressure, putting a lot of pressure on them, like we got to do it. And I've learned over the years, you know, I'm I I'm I'm very passionate about it. I want to compete on every aspect of softball. And sometimes I get on them pretty good. And uh they tell me, this group, coach, don't worry about it. We got it. We got it.

SPEAKER_00 13:46

What's it what's it like just being the coach at Lawrence Manning and just anywhere in this area where as popular as softball is, what's the support like from the school and just the people around y'all? I mean, have they played a part in y'all winning these state titles, just the support y'all gotten from the school and fans outside?

SPEAKER_01 14:06

Absolutely. I mean, we got uh first class um support at Lawrence Manning. I mean, we took a whole bus to Pinewood Prep uh this last series. Uh all the Pep Club road, a whole bus load. I mean so the booster club and all that helped out. Um but uh every series going back to Wilson Hall and all that is it's it's amazing that you look at videos, how many people like one at Sumter High. Yeah. It w it was packed. Um so both schools are I mean that's I call the Lawrence Man and Wilson Hall games, like the Carolina Clemson game. Yeah. I mean, it's it's both fan base are passionate, and um it just makes for a a a good game.

SPEAKER_00 15:03

Yeah, I think that's a good comparison. It's just like anytime those two teams play, especially like a like Wilson Hall and Lawrence Manning, it's just packed out, it's passionate. I've I haven't been able to get in town and go to one recently, but I I remember growing up going to and I was like, dude, these things are intense, and you just absolutely love to see it. So back, we'll kind of backtrack again. Was coaching something you've always wanted to do growing up, or did that kind of just fall into your hands?

SPEAKER_01 15:35

Or well, uh if uh I had a lot of a lot of people help with my daughters. Um, like I say, uh we had uh Lawrence Manning, Wilson Hall, Thomas Sumter, Camden, all on the same travel ball team. Okay, all girls. Um and um Wayne Elmore, Brian Swanick, Nolan Hunter. We was all part of a uh started at Rec Hall and then went to the the World Series um and then started just took the same kids um and started competing in travel tournaments and uh we were pretty successful and and I've helped along the way and and like I say with three daughters that's that's what we did. Yeah. Uh uh so I wouldn't trade it for the world. Um, but I also let them learn and get coached by other people so it wouldn't be technically it's my way or the highway. Right. Um so uh you take a little bit of uh everybody um and mix it all up and um that's that's the way I do it.

SPEAKER_00 16:56

And not like not just your daughters, what's it like, especially because you got to coach JV, you see this in high school a lot, versus like college where you get someone for four years or pros, you just sign someone, whatever that deal is. But what's it like seeing these players just start when they're young and you're watching them mature and grow up into winning a state championship their senior year at varsity? How like cool was that experience and stuff?

SPEAKER_01 17:22

Well, like I told Tim, I mean the first one was very special because it was um my oldest, she won a um state championship with Maria rolling coaching. Um and then naturally my second one just won it the start of the the three-peat. It was special because um I've I've coached her pretty pretty much since she started. Um but like I told Tim, this last one I felt like I had eight daughters on the team because the eight seniors come from the JV and and work through it and and they uh they're gonna be hard to replace.

SPEAKER_00 18:05

Yeah. What's um a couple more questions here and we'll wrap this up. First of all, I kind of like to ask everyone these last two things before we go. One is what's what's a hobby of yours? It could can be nothing to do with sports, it can be sports, golf, or whatever. What's like something you like to do outside of coaching softball and stuff? You have a specific hobby?

SPEAKER_01 18:28

Well, I used to dirt track race.

SPEAKER_00 18:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 18:30

Um and I enjoyed that. I mean, everything competitive I like to to put my hands in, but uh the dirt track racing, I enjoyed that. And then when they got up, like I say, uh man, we was playing tournaments every weekend. I had to pick and choose. So I chose to to do the travel ball with my girls because once they get older, it's over. And um I can always race.

SPEAKER_00 19:00

Right. How intense like I I know little to dirt racing, like I know people would do it, but like everyone who I've talked to about it says it's awesome and fun. Just like, I mean, is it as is it as advertised?

SPEAKER_01 19:14

Absolutely. Yeah, I mean that's uh as uh general uh adrenaline rush. I bet big time.

SPEAKER_00 19:21

Yeah. And then the final question before we go, just what does it mean to you personally to be the head coach at a place like Lawrence Manning in this community and in the basically the Sumter area as well? Just what does it mean to you? Because I mean, people look up to you, you've won the state championships, just what does all that mean to you being the coach at Lawrence Manning?

SPEAKER_01 19:42

Well, I mean, I I enjoy it and I love it. I got a passion for softball. Um, I love what I do. Um and to do it at my albumata, it it means a lot to me.

SPEAKER_00 19:55

Yeah. Well, Coach Drewett, I appreciate you coming in and um good luck to you next season and congratulations on another successful season and have a good summer. All right, thank you. That's another episode of Summer Sports Talk. Thank you all for listening in.