Robert Bunton

Longtime assistant Robert Bunton has been named the new head coach for the Allen County-Scottsville softball team, replacing Ernie Stafford.

Bunton was formally introduced Monday and takes the reins of a program he is very familiar with. A 1997 graduate of ACS, Bunton has served as an assistant for the softball team since 2008.

“It’s a great opportunity and I am really excited,” Bunton said. “The program has been a really good program over the years and we’ve had some really good players come through. I’m just very excited about being a part of that, and I hope to get these girls back to the state tournament and make some noise.”

Bunton said his familiarity with the program should help with the transition.

“That’s going to help a lot,” Bunton said. “The girls know me. I know what I can do with them and what I can’t do with them. I know the community. I think it is going to be a really easy transition for me, hopefully.”

Bunton inherits a program that has established itself as one of the top teams in the region – and the state. As an assistant, Bunton was part of Allen County-Scottsville’s state title in 2011 and three straight Region 4 titles from 2009-11.

The Lady Patriots finished 22-15 last season, winning the District 15 championship before losing to Franklin-Simpson in the first round of the Region 4 tournament.

Expectations remain high for next season with plenty of talent returning, including first-team all-state and Region 4 Player of the Year Ryley Whitney, Kalee Skaggs and Kris-Anne Pardue.

“We’ve got a really good team,” Bunton said. “We’ve got a lot of girls back. We lost four really good seniors. That is going to be really hard to replace, but our young girls are really good and they are learning every day. 

“It’s going to be exciting because we are going for the region, but our district is tough, too. Last year we went 10 innings with Barren County in the first round of the district. Glasgow is really good and Monroe County has improved, so we’ve got to play our best ball to get out of district before we get to region.”