MONTEREY — Monterey High School softball coach Cary Shively rarely has a boring day at his job.

When your team is a group of eager and spirited athletes, as Shively puts it, nothing seems to ever dampen the mood.

“I got a great group of kids,” Shively said. “You ask them to do something, they just go do it.

“It’s a group of girls that love each other. They want to be there, and they love the game, too.”

As far as other teams see the Lady Wolves, there’s one thing holding them all together — youth.

Sprinkled with seventh and eighth graders, Shively led a Monterey team with no seniors and just one junior to the second round of the 2018 LHSAA Class B Playoffs.

For his efforts, Shively has been named The Natchez Democrat’s 2017-18 All-Metro Softball Coach of the Year.

Going into this season, despite the large number of underclassmen, Shively said he wasn’t worried.

“The group of sophomores we have, when they were seventh graders, I knew they would be pretty good,” he said. “They have played every year since then. It didn’t scare me being that young going into the year because they just know what to do. They just buy into what our plan is and go with it.”

Shively also said, with a team so willing to learn, nothing seems to get in their way.

“I just look at it as a team sport,” he said. “On any given day, it could be a different one that steps up. When it’s their time, they just run with it.

“They learn pretty quick. It doesn’t take them long.”

Throughout the season, Shively said he made sure to use Monterey’s youth to their advantage, too.

The Lady Wolves (13-9) eventually ended their season with a loss in the regional playoff round to Fairview, 12-8.

“The teams in our district know we are young, but I think there’s just a mutual respect for all players,” Shively said. “When we show up, they just have to know we are showing up to play softball. We are going to take advantage of their mistakes and try to beat them if we can.”

Additionally, Shively said he is looking forward to next season.

The Lady Wolves will anchor their talents on lone senior-to-be, Madison Passman, as well as a strong core of seven or eight rising juniors.

“Next year, we will be a year older, a year stronger and a year wiser,” Shively said. “We will continue to get better. The more experience you get, the better off you are for the next game.

“I hope we have a chance to play for it all. It’s our goal to get there.”

Overall, Shively said he couldn’t do his job without the people around him.

“I’ve never been named coach of the year,” he said. “It’s just an honor to receive this award. I have a great group of kids who work extremely hard and a great coaching staff. Everybody in our community and everybody that is associated with the success of our program — this is for them.”