March 28, 2024

Price to guide Cardinal softball in 2018

Casey Price owned the pitching circle when she was at Newton High School. Casey Grimes Price has come full circle since graduating from Newton in 1987.

Price is the new Newton High head softball coach. She brings coaching experience from the middle school, high school and college levels of softball to the Cardinal Program.

“I never really thought about coming back to Newton, but life has brought me back here. I’m thankful it has and, I have the opportunity to coach the Newton High softball program,” Price said.

Price has a family heritage with Newton softball. Her father, Gary Grimes, was the Cardinal softball head coach for several years, leaving in 2012.

Grimes will be Price’s assistant coach this season. They both bring strong coaching experience to the program.

“When I came back as a teacher, I taught sixth grade math for the first time here and made a connection with a lot of the girls who are now in the high school program,” Price said. “I offered my help with the Newton youth softball program and travel ball teams. I gave a lot of pitching and hitting lessons.

“When the head coaching job came open, I really like these kids and have a connection with them. I hadn’t coached at the high school level for some time, but I thought this was a great opportunity to coach these kids.”

Price was the pitcher for the Cardinals as a junior and senior. She played outfield for the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla.

She was named OU’s freshman of the year as the Sooners’ starting left fielder. Price is in the Oklahoma Women’s Athletic Hall of Fame as the first player to score a run at the Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

Price received her bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Oklahoma in 1992. She continued her graduate studies and completed her elementary education degree, also at Oklahoma.

Following college, Price moved to New York state with her first coaching job at the modified (seventh and eighth grade) level. She helped conduct camps and clinics in the area.

“I became the head softball coach at Baldwinsville High School, which is bigger than Newton, and was there for 11 years,” Price said.

She coached on staffs at Plattsburgh State and University of Massachusetts-Lowell. Price and her teams had success at every level.

Price landed the head coaching position at Oswego State in New York, where she turned its softball program around in her four seasons.

She was named SUNYAC Coach of the year in 2013 during her tenure at Oswego State. Once Price moved back to Iowa, she became the pitching coach at Grinnell College in 2017.

“I’ve been around the game a lot and these kids in Newton have a hunger for the game,” Price said. “I love coaching for the same reason I love teaching the K-1 kids — there’s a value to seeing a kid achieve, to see when the light bulb clicks on for them.”

Price describes herself as a fundamentals coach. She said she’s applying her collegiate coaching experience to the Newton program.

“We’ve brought the brand of hitting you see at an Oklahoma. Teaching the fundamentals sets a foundation and once it is laid then its fun to watch and coach,” Price said.

Price believes in setting up great practices to make it productive and strong lesson plans for her assistant coaches. She said it is important to involve her coaching staff in every aspect.

Along with Grimes, Price said she has Caitlyn Meyer on the coaching staff. Also helping with clinics is Amy Shannon.

“The game has changed so much from when I played and being connected with the collegiate level helps me,” Price said. “I’ve been able to go to the NCAA college coaches convention and go to clinics.

“I have a passion for learning. I don’t know everything, but I’ll find a way to find the answer or make it better.”

Price has been reaching out to the youth softball program organizers and coaches to provide help in giving girls the opportunity to learn and grow in the sport.

She combined with an Iowa City softball coach to hold a clinic this past fall to showcase high school players to college coaches. Price said it was a good first step and the clinic is on the schedule again.

“It’s about passing it on. Learning to play with purpose and meaning on the field and growing the sport,” Price said. “I know how important feedback is for players and we’ll be doing that for each of the kids. Every kid needs something different and if you don’t know what you’re doing wrong, you can’t improve on it.”

Softball practices officially began Monday. Price has been working with Cardinal pitchers and catchers throughout the winter workouts. Other coaches have worked with players on hitting. They had a spring softball season under other coaches following Price’s gameplan.

The new softball field just south of H.A. Lynn Stadium will be dedicated on May 21.

“It’s game on,” Price said, as Newton opens the 2018 season hosting Knoxville.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com