The softball team will play Flower Mound at home on March 24 at 7 p.m.
The team is third in the district with a record of 5-1, having won all of its games except against Guyer. Flower Mound is undefeated in the district season, with a record of 4-0, and is first in district standings.
“We did compete well [against] Guyer, so I’m not upset about the loss just because of the way that we played,” head coach Chelsea Herndon said. “Overall, we’re doing a really good job keeping batters off balance and our hitters are doing a great job of scoring when we have people in position. Everyone’s accepting their role and doing a great job of being great at that role. ”
Flower Mound has scored 117 runs throughout the season, including tournaments, and the Lady Hawks have scored 96. Going into the game, the team has been focusing on practicing defensive plays.
“We know they’re going to put the ball in play,” Herndon said. “We need to make sure we make plays when they do. If we’re able to do that and [can] continue to hit like we [are,] then we’ll be fine.”
This year, the team has two seniors, compared to five last year. Sophomore Lilly Pirrello said that due to this, underclassmen have taken leadership roles, acting as mentors and examples for the younger players.
“The two seniors we have now are natural leaders,” Pirrello said. “I look up to them a lot and want to help out. Now that I have experience, I talk more on the field and guide people to where they’re going.”
In years prior, catcher Liz Cardona said one of the biggest issues faced by the team was chemistry. However, this year, the chemistry and teamwork within the team has been the best she has experienced.
“I’ve seen the dynamic shift into something great,” Cardona said. “This year we all get along. We’re all friends on and off the field.”
Herndon said that she would like to see everyone execute their roles to the highest potential. The team is focusing on the little things, especially defensively, to keep improving on what they already excel at.
“We struggled at the beginning of the year, but everybody is starting to get comfortable in their spots,” Herndon said. “Now they’re starting to execute those plays even when the pressure is on.”
