WOODSTOCK — Many teenagers would understandably be hesitant about the idea of being coached by a parent. But Jordan Allard didn’t want anyone other than her mother, Angela, to coach the Woodstock High softball team after the two moved from Randolph last summer.
The Allards relocated so Angela could be closer to her romantic partner, who lives in Woodstock. After the Wasps finished 0-5 in last year’s pandemic-shortened softball season, co-head coaches Alyssa Smith and Jane Hoisington stepped away to create more free time in their schedules, so Jordan Allard, an incoming junior pitcher, encouraged her mom to apply for the open position.
“She was my coach through my Little League years, and she helped me grow into the softball player that I am now,” Jordan Allard said. “I definitely wanted her to come back and help me finish off my last years of high school.”
Angela Allard got the job and set out to revitalize a Woodstock program that has fallen on hard times of late — the Wasps last had a winning season in 2017, and it’s been quite a bit longer than that since their last playoff victory. It may take some time, with only one senior on the roster and field access limited in the preseason due to weather conditions.
But Woodstock did have the good fortune to open its season against lowly Mill River, which had given up at least 17 runs in each of its first three games, all losses. That continued for the Minutewomen on Friday, with the Wasps scoring four runs in the first inning, three more in the fourth and 12 between the fifth and sixth for a 19-7 run-rule victory, putting Allard in the win column in her high school coaching debut.
“I played softball all through high school, and I play in adult leagues,” the elder Allard said. “I was not expecting to coach at all, but they needed a coach, so we decided to do it. Without (Jordan) pushing me, I certainly would not have stepped up to it. These girls are fantastic — they’re positive and enthusiastic and motivated to learn.”
Allard has help on her staff in the form of Emma Walker, a former Woodstock softball player and 2018 graduate who now works as a paraeducator in the school district. The lone senior, first baseman Megan Tarleton, has also stepped into a leadership role alongside Allard and Walker.
“(Allard) definitely has a different coaching style than we’ve had in the past, which is a good change for us as such a young group,” Tarleton said. “It’s more verbal coaching than we’re used to, and it’s really supportive. I’ve tried to fill the role of captain and be there as a role model for my younger teammates as someone they can count on.”
Tarleton’s younger sister, sophomore second baseman Georgia Tarleton, was one of the Wasps’ offensive stars Friday, hitting a go-ahead two-run single in the fourth and driving in another run with a hit an inning later. Junior shortstop River Miles had the biggest blow with a two-run triple in the fifth before knocking home two more with a sixth-inning single.
Jordan Allard went the distance in the circle, settling down after allowing four runs in the second. She struck out 12.
As for the new head coach, Angela Allard said she plans to stick around at least through next season, when Jordan graduates, but athletic director Jack Boymer is hopeful she will want to stay longer.
“There’s a lot of buy-in from the group,” Boymer said. “Our team has a lot of girls who are excited to get better each day. It’s a very positive start to the season so far.”
Benjamin Rosenberg can be reached at brosenberg@vnews.com or 603-727-3302.