When Mark Ryal came to Auburn in 2008, he brought more than a decade of Major League Baseball experience with him.
That experience has proven invaluable not only to Auburn's softball team, but also to Ryal's coaching philosophy.
"My main goal as a coach on any level is just to try and give back some of the great experiences I had as a ball player and help our players get better," Ryal said. "I want to pass down the things I learned when I played."
That experience is certainly not lost on his players.
"We all know that Coach Ryal knows what he is talking about because of the years he spent playing in the majors," said junior catcher Elizabeth Eisterhold.
Originally from Dewar, Okla., Ryal was picked in the third round of the 1978 Major League Baseball draft.
He made his first major league appearance with the Kansas City Royals in 1982.
After a playing career spanning 16 years, which included stints with the Chicago White Sox, California Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chunichi Dragons in Japan, Ryal soon found himself back in the dugout, only this time as a coach.
He started in 1995 as the hitting coach for the University of Oklahoma baseball team.
After coaching baseball at several eastern Oklahoma high schools, Ryal switched over to softball.
He took a job as the head coach of the Inola (Okla.) High School softball team in 2003.
In 2007, Ryal left Inola to become the head coach of the Carl Albert State College softball team.
Then, in the fall of 2008, he arrived at Auburn as an assistant coach working with hitters and outfielders.
"The position at Auburn was open, and I was lucky enough to get hired," Ryal said.
So far, Ryal has been a key component to the Lady Tigers' success.
In his first season with Auburn, Ryal helped the team improve in almost every offensive category, including team batting average, hits, doubles, home runs, slugging percentage, walks, on-base percentage and stolen bases.
The Lady Tigers have also reached the NCAA Tournament in each of Ryal's first two seasons with the team.
Unfortunately, they were eliminated in the first round, with a 1-2 record each time.
"One of our goals this year is to improve our play in the tournament and go farther," Ryal said. "That, and we want to finish higher in conference play to get a better seeding in the tournament."
Other goals include improving the team's batting average and cutting down on strikeouts.
Ryal also noted the importance of staying healthy this season.
"We've got to avoid injuries this year," Ryal said. "We need to be more consistent, and we can't do that if we aren't healthy."
Ryal puts in the extra effort to provide guidance for his players.
"Coach Ryal is a great coach that is always willing to work extra with us at any time," Eisterhold said. "We can call him up whenever and he will always be there to help."
The team opens the 2011 season Feb. 12 against Alabama State in Birmingham.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
