A soon-to-be retired motorcycle police officer with seven years of travel ball coaching experience will take over next spring at West Ranch High School.

On Wednesday, Bob Shults was hired to take over where Cassandra Perez, who coached for the previous three seasons, left off.

"It's a nice hobby once I retire," Shults said. "I am looking forward to working in the community."

"It'll be exciting," he added. "It'll be different. I want to keep it simple. We want to manufacture runs."

Shults could have his hands full turning around a team that finished fifth at 2-8 in the Foothill League (5-21 overall).

He is the father of Jessica Shults, the catcher at Hart High who was named to the All-Foothill League First Team and to CalHiSports.com's All-State Second Team this past season. Shults will be a senior this season.

"It's going to be exciting," Bob Shults said. "I wish I could've waited a year. She's probably not the happiest girl right now. But she knows head coaching jobs only come around once in a while."

Hart plays West Ranch twice per season in league play and perhaps more, should the teams play each other in tournament action.

"I'll probably have our catcher call signs against Hart," Shults said.

Shults, who took last year off, spent the past four years with the Smashers and began his coaching days at Hart Softball Complex. He took a team of under-10 girls to a national tournament. Shults took the same group to a 14-under tournament.

He will retire in October.

"Technically, I won't go on campus until January," Shults said. "There is no fall program."

Bryanna Delatorre, a pitcher for West Ranch, is the only girl who used to play on Shults' travel ball teams.

Other key returners include Michaela Hernandez, a junior next season who led the team with a .301 batting average last year.

Breanne Lendman, the RBI leader who was second on the team with a .293 batting average, will be a senior.

"I'll teach the girls teamwork, love of the game," Shults said.