The softball team will play its final district game at Flower Mound on April 17 at 7 p.m. Flower Mound sits in second place in the district with a 10-2 record, and the Lady Hawks are in third with a 9-3 record.
“[Flower Mound has] players that can do everything,” head coach Chelsea Herndon said. “They’re athletic, they’re quick, [and] they have power, but they are beatable. As long as we’re playing our game as we have been, we [can] beat them.”
Earlier in the season, the team lost 5-3 to Flower Mound. The Hawks led for a majority of the game, but fell behind in the final inning when Flower Mound scored four runs.
“We [need to] work on being quick because they are a fast team,” pitcher Kate Buesing said. “They have a lot of speed, so we need to play together and have more energy than they do.”
Catcher Liz Cardona said the team’s biggest achievement this season was beating Marcus twice. The team won the home game 4-3 and the away game 3-2.
“There have been a lot of moments where everyone [had] a part on the team and on the field,” Cardona said. “Winning as a team feels much better than winning individually.”
Shortstop Haylee Epps is out with a broken wrist. Because of this, second baseman Lilly Pirrello was moved to play shortstop, and freshman utility player Rylee Holland was moved to second base. Cardona said the team’s biggest challenge this season has been having few players, and if one player is injured, it can hurt the whole team.
“We handle it as if we are playing our best out there,” Cardona said. “[Holland is] a little nervous in games, but at the end of the day, we just call time, bring everyone together and say, ‘It’s just like practice. Don’t stress about it [and] relax.’”
The team has two seniors and three juniors. With a total of 11 players, Buesing is the only starting pitcher for the team.
“I thought it was going to be difficult,” Buesing said. “As the season has gone on, it’s gotten a lot easier to [pitch] through an entire game. I still get tired toward the end, but pitching every game is fun.”
The team has clinched a playoff spot this year. Last year, the Lady Hawks made it to the third round of playoffs, losing in a three-game series to Plano West.
“The biggest lesson is to never give up on themselves,” Herndon said. “Sports in general are hard, so taking the failure that comes with it and growing from it has been the biggest lesson. [Don’t let] big moments where you fail take over your mind; don’t let the failure beat you, and be better than you were last [time].”
