The Pleasant Valley Softball program is undergoing changes this year. A new head softball coach has been named to replace previous head coach José Lara. The man for the job? Trent Rubley.
The PV Softball program has been extremely successful in the last eight years, racking up seven State Tournament appearances with two runner-up finishes and two State Championship titles.
Former coach Lara did a fantastic job of making the PV Softball program a dominating force at the State Tournament year after year. The PV community is sad to see him leave.
With these new changes comes speculation. Although Rubley is Quad Cities born and raised, not many people have heard of him.
But that doesn’t mean he isn’t experienced or motivated.
“I applied for the PV job knowing they had a strong tradition in softball at the high school level all the way down to the feeder programs. I know with my experience I could help them reach their goals of winning state as a team and go on to play at the next level as a player,” said Rubley.
Rubley’s incredible athletic career started at Davenport West High School where he was All-State in football and baseball. He continued playing football at Iowa State University, where he also found success.
His athletic career didn’t stop there. After college, Rubley made the USA Men’s Fastpitch Softball team and was a key pitcher and hitter from 1991-2000. He played all over the world with men that are now head coaches of elite NCAA softball programs such as the University of Texas.
But with all of his experience, it is still difficult to coach high school softball players. Luckily, Rubley has some experience in the area. Rubley served as Shorecrest Prep High School’s head softball coach for four years.
Since then, Rubley has stayed busy offering softball and baseball lessons for pitchers and hitters of all ages. Kate Scholl is a softball player for the Bettendorf High School Team and has been hitting with Rubley for over a year. Although sad to see him go, she believes Rubley is the man for the job. “I think he’ll push the girls to be better, and he’ll be encouraging and positive while he coaches,” said Scholl.
Rubley has offered hitting and pitching lessons for 20 years.
Still, no one can know if Rubley will fit into the tight knit group of the PV Softball Team. This particular group of players only lost two seniors last year.
Mary Paige Withers is one of three returning seniors and had a close relationship with Lara. “I’m upset and a little nervous at the fact José is leaving…José is someone I look up to as a coach and as an individual, so losing someone I felt so understood by as a player will be a hard adjustment,” told Withers.
Withers believes that building relationships with the players will be key in order to have a smooth transition from Lara to Rubley.
Rubley agrees and wants to create the best team possible both on and off the field. He believes this team has the talent and experience to do great things.
Only time will tell how the transition from Lara to Rubley will go. Both are incredibly knowledgeable and respected by their players and students. The PV community is eager to see how the next season plays out.
