The varsity softball team will play Hallsville in the bi-district round of the playoffs Thursday and Friday. Game one will take place in Hallsville at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, game two will be played Friday at 5:30 p.m. in Lindale and game three will be in Lindale at 7:30 p.m. Friday, if necessary.
“We had a tougher district this year, so I’m happy we made the playoffs,” head coach Meredith Grant said. “Our varsity team [has] eight seniors this year, which is a lot larger class than we’ve previously had. This shows the commitment and investment of this group.”
Going into their final district game Friday against Greenville, the team had not yet clinched a playoff spot. Following their 5-0 win that night, though, the team ended up fourth place in the district, which gave them a spot in the playoffs.
“We beat Greenville 5-0 off[of] a great pitching performance by [senior] Hannah Knox, and [she] added a 3-run home run,” Grant said. “[Junior] London Reue also contributed with a 2-run home run. We were better than a number four seed, but we struggled to win a couple of games that we should have.”
The team has spent the school year practicing for the season. They are getting ready for the playoffs the same way they have all year.
“We have prepared throughout the year starting at the beginning of the school year with off season workouts, including weight room, running and team competitions,” Grant said. “Softball is definitely a mental game and we like to prepare by using time to journal and breakdown mental aspects of the game.”
The team finished district with a 5-5 record. If they win the series against Hallsville, they will play either Red Oak or North Forney in the area round.
“The most exciting part of playoffs is the excitement of getting to compete with different teams and excel as a team,” senior Makayla Ragland said. “It’s also exciting to be able to continue playing with the team and finish the season strong together.”
Update: The softball team lost to Hallsville in game one 2-7 April 25 and fell 4-5 in game two April 26, and thus did not advance to the area playoff round.
