Correction: This story originally listed Taylor Purchas’s class incorrectly. She is a sophomore.

A lot of familiar faces are around Homewood-Flossmoor softball this season. A lot of the big hitters, the important pitchers and best parts of the defense are the same. Even new head coach Larry Dawson was an assistant coach last year.

Still, the vibes are different.

“There were a lot of seniors last year, in comparison to now. I feel like the groups were kind of split,” sophomore Taylor Purchas said. “Now, we’re more unified and together. It’s more fun to play this year.”

Players said Dawson’s ability to communicate with the team is part of that change, even if he’s far from new to the program. 

He was the Vikings’ head coach for the 2021 and 2022 seasons, going 32-27, and then took a season off. Before that he was an H-F assistant from 2012 until 2021, and the head coach at Robeson before that. 

Dawson replaces Corinne Zimmerman, who managed H-F for the last three seasons. He was her assistant for the last two years.

“I’m familiar with all of (the players). I know all of them,” he said. “My change (to the program) is more about building relationships with the kids. Times have changed and kids are different.”

Dawson said part of that is listening to players, hearing out their ideas and being willing to bend to them sometimes. He wants his team to enjoy the game because he believes fun can translate into wins. 

That doesn’t mean a relaxed environment. Dawson is still a competitor who wants to get the best from his team.

“Coach Dawson definitely brings a more fierce, competitive attitude for everybody,” junior Demi Chaney said. “He really pushed everybody to be their best self.” 

The best H-F is probably a team that puts up a lot of runs. 

The Vikings return some big bats. Senior Izzy Thurman had six home runs, five steals and 16 RBIs last season. Purchas had a .505 on base percentage as a sophomore. Chaney, who traveled the last two seasons with USA Baseball’s Women’s National Development Team, had five home runs and 15 RBIs. 

Individually, Chaney hopes to produce runs in different ways this year.

“I want to be in a mix between a contact hitter and a power hitter,” she said. “I do want to come up and hit those home runs but I also want to be able to deliver and do my job in that moment, maybe get a bunt down or get a hit up the middle to score a run.” 

H-F adds a few promising freshmen, too. Ninth-grade catcher McKenzie Weber hit a game-winning 3-run home run in the Vikings’ season-opening 8-7 win over Wilmington. 

“Hitting-wise, they should be pretty strong,” Dawson said. “I’m big on defense. I think defense wins games.”

Purchas will play a big role in that regard. The sophomore center fielder said the defense has made big improvements just since they began playing together in the last few months. 

Purchas will make some adjustments, too. She admits she was a little timid as a sophomore and aims to be more vocal this season.

“I’ve always played with older girls so I’ve gotten used to listening to them and just staying quiet,” Purchas said. “I want to be more of a leader in the outfield, be able to communicate with my left fielder and right fielder. I want to do as much as I can to be able to help them.”

Thurman will be the first option in the circle. Dawson hopes pitching depth develops as the spring progresses and he’s able to pitch by committee. 

The ultimate goal is improvement. H-F hasn’t been over .500 since Dawson’s last year as head coach in 2022. 

“I want to have a good record,” Purchas said. “I want more wins than losses this year.”