Every softball program in the Dysart Unified School District has a new varsity head coach.

But only one has an old head coach. Four years after leaving Willow Canyon, coach Donnie Tizzano is back to right the ship.

The Wildcats have responded, opening with a 7-1-1 record. That leveled off after a tough weekend at the Desert Mountain tournament, but the team still sports a 6-1 regular season record.

"Coach T has had an impact on us. We hadn’t had the best of coaching and he really pushes us to do what we know we can do. He brings out the best in all of us and makes us work harder," senior MacKenzie Federico said.

Ironically, Tizzano appears to be the coach to end the program instability his departure created. He left following the 2014 season to coach at Central Lakes, a junior college in Minnesota.

Willow Canyon had a different head coach for each of the next three years — Nathan Walker in 2015, Tara Zimmerman in 2016 and Janelle Pritts in 2017. Tizzano was back in Arizona before the 2017 season and nearly replaced Zimmerman as coach, but by the time the job opened — mere weeks before the start of the season — he had already committed to coaching at Goodyear Millennium.

"It was fun (in Minnesota) and the kids worked hard. It’s just different. They don’t play year round there, so they don’t get the same reps. Those kids were just as physical. They just don’t understand the game the way these kids do. We spent two years there and two winters is enough," Tizzano said. "I kept tabs on this program because (assistant coach) Bobby (Sparks) was here with Nathan the first year I was gone. I know a lot of the families. When we came back I was eyeing this program but the job wasn’t open."

Tizzano built the program from 2009 to 2014, leading the Wildcats to a school record 22 wins in 2013.

Willow Canyon was making a name for itself in Division II, regularly making the playoffs and pushing for that elusive first postseason win.

"It was a little bit of a lull. The expectations kind of dropped a little bit," Tizzano said. "When I left it was a well-oiled machine. And a lot of that has to do with Bobby. The assistant coaches are great. We started them young and there was a Willow way of doing things."

The program did not fall off a cliff when its coach left. The Wildcats won 13, 16 and 13 games the last three years and made the playoffs each time — though with less teams in the conference, a playoff berth was easier to come by.

But Tizzano realized quickly upon returning that the Willow way had been eroded by constant change. He said this team is the best he’s coached overall, but needs to expect more and get better at the little things to reach their potential.

"The one thing that surprised me with this group is, the feel for softball — rotating on defense and back picking kids, the way we run the bases — those type of things are missing. I’m a little bit surprised that the softball knowledge isn’t as high as we though it would be. So that’s what we spend a lot of time on," Tizzano said. "They just want to hit, hit, hit, but they have to understand that we need to catch the ball. We’re not going to strike out 15 in a game."

While Willow Canyon was playing musical coaches, nearby Shadow Ridge emerged as the top program in Surprise. Led by Vicki Bejarano, the Stallions made the playoffs the last two years and peaked with an appearance in the final six of the 5A playoffs last season.

Bejarano’s daughter, Hayley, graduated last May and now plays for Central Florida. The coach decided to hand over the reins of the Stallions to Nadine Arias.

In an email Bejarano stated she originally planned to coach one more season, but decided recently to step down to spend more time with her son, Bradey, who is a sophomore and plays on the Stallions.

That throws a curve in the Northwest Region, which Shadow Ridge swept last year. Shadow Ridge still has plenty of talent but Willow Canyon and Liberty look much improved — the Lions handed the Wildcats their only loss in a tournament — and Centennial gets ace pitcher Sydnie Sahhar back and probably moves into the role of the favorite.

"When you look at the schedule you kind of circle Shadow Ridge, Centennial and Liberty as the teams you’ve got to get by," Tizzano said.

Breann Wirth is the new coach at Dysart. Meanwhile, Stephanie Kingsley is the third coach in three years for Valley Vista.

The Monsoon were 15-13 last season and have carried that momentum into this season with a 6-3 start.

"The softball players at Valley Vista are resilient. Despite being the third coach in three years, my players still have a high level of talent and love for the game. There is a natural learning curve for all involved, players learning the new coaching staff and coaches learning the players, but that is to be expected," Kingsley stated in an email.

She stated that each of the varsity players have a love and passion for the game. She hopes to build on this by inspiring them to see and recognize each other's strengths, work together, and encourage each other to stay mentally strong.

"The focus, especially with five seniors graduating this year, is to allow the girls to show leadership and encourage and mentor younger and developing players to take their place. As a coaching staff we work hard to keep open communication with our players, encourage them to set goals, and improve their personal performance as well as their grades and balancing their academics," Kingsley stated. "It is also important to build all softball levels and see younger developing players as the life and heart of the program, while still honoring and respecting the experience and talent our more seasoned players offer."

Tizzano is making a commitment to rebuilding Willow Canyon. He is still teaching at Millennium but will be on the Willow Canyon campus next year.