Players cherish Muff’s final season as Head Coach

Libby Pullen | The Chronicle

This season marks the end of an unforgettable chapter for the Mason High School (MHS) Girls Varsity Softball team. After years of dedication, leadership and success, all three varsity coaches — Liann Muff, Dave Bell and Jenny Meyer — have announced they will be stepping down after this season. While the team remains focused on competing at a high level, this season is about more than just wins — it is about honoring the legacy their coaches have built. As Varsity Head Coach, Muff has been coaching at MHS since 2003 and has served as head coach for 15 years. Under her leadership, Mason has become one of the most well-respected softball programs in Ohio. The Comets earned trips to the 2013 and 2016 Division I state Final Four. Mason has also won GMC championships in 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2024. Muff’s leadership has extended far beyond the field – she has instilled discipline, resilience and self-confidence in her athletes. “I hope they’ve learned to support each other,” Muff said. “We stress that a lot here. I hope they have learned that they are enough just as they are and that if you work hard and stay consistent, great things will happen for you.” Bell and Meyer, the two assistant coaches, have guided the varsity team alongside Muff and will step away after this season. Bell has spent the past 15 years as the team’s hitting coach and plans to stay involved with MHS Softball in some capacity. Meyer has coached alongside Muff for the past 10 years and has also decided to step back. For Muff, stepping away was a deeply personal and emotional decision. Coaching has been a major part of her life, but so has her family, and now she feels she needs to dedicate her time to them. “It’s very bittersweet,” Muff said. “But I’m in a different season of life than when I started. My sons have families of their own, and I think it’s time for me to be available to them.” MHS senior Addie McBrayer, who has played under Muff for four years, said she deeply appreciates the culture her coach has created within the team. “She prioritizes having fun but also being serious,” McBrayer said. “We always wear the word ‘Team’ across our chest as a reminder that it’s not just for yourself — it’s always for your teammates.” At a school as large and competitive as MHS, the “Team” mentality has helped the athletes perform at a higher level. But beyond building a tightly bonded team, Muff has also made it her mission to leave a lasting impact on every player off the field. “She’s taught me that everything you do is for a reason and to always keep that team mentality and be selfless,” McBrayer said. For junior Anna Polca, who has played under Muff for three years, the connection goes beyond the game. Polca said she has come to see Muff not just as a coach but as a mentor who has shaped her both on and off the field. “The biggest lesson she’s taught me is to always be yourself, always do your best and give your full effort all the time,” Polca said. Muff’s belief in her players is something that she has carried with her throughout her career, shaping their confidence and self-image. She said her confidence in them becomes their own, which Muff uses to push them through challenges. “She always told me to believe in myself because she believed in me, which was always reassuring to hear,” Polca said. Through her confidence in her players, Muff has not only shaped skilled athletes but also instilled lifelong values. Her faith in her athletes has done more than mold them into competitive players, it has instilled values that will last with them past their softball career. Junior Alyx Synan, who has played for Muff for three years, said she credits her coach with shaping her into not just the athlete she is today but also the person she has become. “She started that drive and motivation in me — to want to get better, to improve and to prove to others that this is who you are, and no one can take that away from you,” Synan said. As Muff and her coaching staff prepare to step away, the impact they have had on MHS Softball is undeniable. Though Muff has no say in who will take over the program, she hopes it will be someone with the same love and respect for the game that she has. “Whoever takes the job is going to be a very lucky coach,” Muff said. “I’m a very lucky coach, and that person will be too because we have great families and athletes here.” As Muff’s time as Head Coach comes to an end, her influence will remain in every athlete she has mentored, every lesson she has taught, and every relationship that she has built. More than just wins, her true legacy is the bond she has formed with her players and the lessons they will carry with them long after their softball careers are finished. “They can call or text me anytime — I always tell them that after they graduate,” Muff said. “I hope they enjoyed their time here and took away valuable life lessons. For my coaching staff, it’s always been about more than just the game; it’s about the relationships. High school goes by fast, so I hope they cherish the experience and the friendships they’ve made. I feel grateful to have been a part of that.” It is commonly understood that there has been a rise in political opinions and activism in the younger generations recently; every few posts you see on Instagram, every time you scroll on TikTok and every couple of stories you click through on Snapchat, you are bound to see some kind of political post. A repost of a news article, a picture of someone holding a sign at a protest, climate change, DEI, international affairs, the education department — but where does this newfound urgency for action stem from? In an interview for my article about the recent UC protests, I had the opportunity to speak with a very politically active student here at MHS, who brought up the topic of performative activism, something I had not considered much before. In direct relation with the topic of my article, political protests, we began to discuss the idea that within the younger generations, as well as the rise of social media’s political presence, to some people, protesting has started to become a “trend”. First, I would like to define performative activism — it is not as self-exploitative as you might imagine; it is a rather loosely defined term. Performative activism could be someone inherently active on social media who feels pressure to show followers they “care,” it could be someone attending a protest or reposting a movement because their friends are and they don’t want to feel out of place, it could be someone who wants to appear “woke,” even if they don’t understand what it is they are representing. I do not think this is a hard thing to be guilty of — I myself can recognize times I have stood up for a cause in exchange for some kind of praise, if you will, from other people around me. I do think that most of the time, this kind of activism is not ill-intended but rather stems from a lack of understanding. I believe many people support causes and inject themselves into influential movements without truly understanding what it is they’re fighting for, who exactly they are going against, and the true intentions of the people fighting by their side. I think the rise in attendance to local and national protests and the publication and proof of attendance shown on social media is the most recent and relevant example of what could be classified as performative activism. I think that while the number of people taking part in movements and protests has risen, the merit and the initiative of the people participating have declined. While greater engagement assists these movements and the traction they gain, I cannot help but discern the difference between those who are there to demand change and those who are there so they can claim they tried, they showed up, they did something. This is not an attempt to discredit any activist or any one person who attends protests or displays their beliefs and morals for people to see- this is simply an attempt to shed light on a term that is slowly gaining more and more meaning in wake of the age of social media, the rise of “influencers” and the popularity of publicly protesting. In a way, all activism is putting on a show to get a point across — the difference between what is considered socially acceptable and what is looked upon as performative is the intention, the ethics, the allegiance of the person — something that truly cannot be fully known by anyone other than themselves. Since the dawn of time, humans have stuck together. From the hunters to the gatherers to the builders of civilization, there has always been a dependency on others for survival. Some may say it is not so different now. We have all seen the stereotypical cliques that exist in institutions like our school and even the workplace. We cannot really blame anyone for this as it is just natural. The official term is “homophily,” a Greek word meaning “love of sameness.” With this in mind, purposefully acting against this instinct can be uncomfortable and difficult, which is why I was so surprised to see the solo date trend on social media. Many young adults have started participating in this trend as a form of exposure therapy and a way to appreciate solitude. Commenters on these videos discussed the stress of being alone in establishments that they would normally visit with a group. “I love this!” commented TikTok user Annesia (@iamannesia) on a video giving tips about going on solo dates. “I used to be anxious doing things by myself, but once you realize no one is paying attention to you, it makes it a lot less scary!” As a young adult in a generation that is so connected online and plugged in and hyper-aware of everything, the concept of essentially “hanging out with myself” almost seemed healing. It sounded like it could be a vacation for my social battery that is constantly being charged, used, recharged and reused. I believe there is a fundamental misconception in our society: that people who are perceived as being alone should be pitied. As someone who catches herself doing this a lot, anyone who reads this column has every right to call me a hypocrite. I often catch myself feeling strong empathy towards those whom I perceive to be lonely– especially the elderly. My mind immediately jumps to thoughts like, “I feel so bad for that poor grandpa eating all by himself.” But maybe the grandpa I saw the other day at the coffee shop was genuinely there to enjoy a treat in joyous solitude. Who are we to determine whether someone is happy or not based solely on first glance? The truth is that there is rich growth and self-actualization behind taking pleasure in being alone. Multiple studies have argued that the benefits of solitude include increased confidence, a strong sense of self-identity and even improved mental health. Solo dates should be an endeavor that everyone partakes in at least once– especially in times such as now, with global conflicts and academic pressure. It is a way to disconnect just for a bit. Now, I am not saying to be a loner and isolate yourself from your community. As mentioned before, community is a natural and necessary part of the human race. There is strength and incredible power in uniting people. However, there is also value in being alone. Sometimes, it is easy for people to lose themselves in their desire for social validation, especially in groups. This could ultimately endanger our sense of self, our culture and our goals. There is a difference in choosing to enjoy others’ presence versus fearing being without a group. So the next time I want to reach for my phone to check what plans are being made in the group chat, maybe I will consider a solo date–instead of reaching out, I will reach within. I may tap into the discomfort of exploring a hidden gem of an antique store all by myself, letting my curiosity lead me instead of my company. I could sit down and enjoy my chocolate croissant and steaming coffee at a cafe like that elderly man had done. Yes, it will probably be a little awkward at first. I might squirm in my seat and take quick glances around, worried about how I may appear. But soon, as the awkwardness fades, something empowering emerges. When solitude is chosen, it is a power. It is when the stage lights dim and the curtains close. The performance is over. The audience has left. You are the only person who remains– still, quiet and authentically you. And you will come to love that. You will come to love you.