Demi McNulty takes over as head coach for the Wylie East softball team and is ready to instill a culture change into the program. 

After working the last two seasons as an assistant coach at L.D Bell High School, McNulty comes into the Wylie East program. Before that, she was a head coach at a private school and played collegiately at Abilene Christian University. 

“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to coach this group for Wylie East,” McNulty said. “I changed a lot of things, but the girls have bought into the change of culture and are eager to compete.” 

One area where McNulty wanted to change was the offseason regimen for the Lady Raiders. Playing at the collegiate level, she wanted her team to approach the offseason similarly to a college team.

“I run my program a lot as a college program does,” McNulty said. “We have a lot of players who aspire to play at the next level and my team sets the bar to playing at that level consistently.” 

Along with the fall softball season, the Lady Raiders worked out extensively this offseason to prepare for next week’s regular season. 

“The team increased the work ethic and expectations for the season,” McNulty said. “We’ve been setting fitness goals, working hard in the weight room, building team chemistry and other things. My returning players have done a great job of asking questions and leading this team and being successful.” 

Last season, Wylie East finished 13-16 overall but was able to sneak into the postseason after winning its final three district games. The Lady Raiders would eventually lose to Frisco Memorial in the first round but return seven players, including some junior varsity call ups.

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By Kyle Grondin • kgrondin@csmediatexas.com