~ Tricia Slade

Like previous years, Sydney Appleberry is involved with varsity high school softball this season at Richmond.

Her role with the team, however, is different.

Appleberry, a senior, is serving as Richmond’s equipment manager. She took on the role after recently suffering an ACL and meniscus tear while playing summer basketball that has her sidelined until next spring – and has her on crutches for a while. After the injury, she offered to serve as manager because “I still want to be part of the team,” she said Aug. 10 during a team practice at Southview Park.

“I’ll be, like, still a team leader, considering I’m a senior,” Appleberry said. “And I’ll still help with … whatever needs to be helped with.”

Assistant coach Tricia Slade also expects Appleberry to be an extra coach – or as Slade put it, her “assistant-assistant” – because of Appleberry’s softball acumen.

“She knows the game,” Slade said. “She knows the game like … maybe only one or two others do here.”

In addition, Appleber…