The softball team will play its seventh district game of the season against Lewisville on March 5 at 7:15 p.m. at home. The team is currently in first place in the district.
“I am proud of how we have played the past few district games,” head coach Chelsea Herndon said. “Our bats have been consistent and productive with runners in scoring positions, our defense is doing a better job of making plays and finding success in big moments [but] our pitching and catching has been carrying us.”
Last year, Lewisville ended the Lady Hawks’ season on a 2-0 loss. Center fielder Alyssa Sneed said that not making the same mistake as last year motivates her to beat Lewisville.
“We try not to let it affect us too much,” Sneed said. “We let it affect us one game, but we [have started] treating every game like it’s going to be our last, so then we don’t play down to another team’s level. We want to stay at our best.”
The team is currently on a three-game win streak against Flower Mound, Coppell and Plano West. Lewisville is currently seventh in the district.
“We’ve watched film on Lewisville, and I know the pitcher personally,” pitcher Lucy Crowder said. “We focus on what they would be throwing [at] us during the game if they would pitch her. Then, we keep [hitting] off the machine, we hit live and we keep practicing our defense.”
With the season winding down, Sneed said the team will have more complex practices and make sure that every play is clean and looks good. The team’s only loss in the district season has been against Plano High School with a score of 7-6 on March 11.
“Depending on the outcome, if we win, it’ll set that standard for us,” Sneed said. “I think it’ll help our confidence a lot more than all of our other games have. If we do lose, it won’t be a setback, but a kind of reality check.”
Herndon said the mental side of the sport has been crucial to focus on in every practice.
“Anyone who knows anything about softball knows it’s a game of failure,” Herndon said. “Being able to handle that failure and bounce back the next play or next at-bat is critical. I do my best to help my athletes handle that and control what they can control.”
