By Moses Leos III.
Parades, celebrations, notoriety – the dreams of young athletes were at the fingertips of the Lady Rebel softball team following their landmark State Title win last June.
Lady Rebel softball senior pitcher Sarah Leal tosses a pitch in the team’s training area at Bales Gym. With the excitement of the state title behind them, Leal and the Lady Rebels prepare to defend their state title. (Photo by Moses Leos III) |
But on Monday, there were no crowds, no accolades. Instead, the cold, blustery wind met the team during a conditioning exercise.
For head coach Aaron Fuller and his team, the time to reminisce is long gone. It’s replaced with another dream – winning it all over again.
The process, according to Fuller, began in August, when the team put finally put the state title win to bed.
That’s also when the team fully realized they are now the team to beat.
“Last year, we were under the radar. Not many teams knew who we were. We snuck up on people through our playoff run,” Fuller said. “We aren’t sneaking up on anyone … we have the biggest target in the state of Texas on our backs.”
During the preseason, the team prepared to defend its title. Senior pitcher Sarah Leal said workouts were focused on conditioning. While it was challenging, she and her teammates know it’s to prepare for tough competition.
“Practices are tough, but with our new girls, we try to push ourselves even harder,” Leal said. “We will raise our standards this year.”
One thing will be apparent for the Lady Rebels this year – change, and lots of it.
Only four starters returned, all in the infield. Gone is much of the team’s offense, led by the triumvirate of Clarissa Gonzalez, Hannah Ramsey and Brayden Pinckard.
Fuller said the loss from last season is significant, but the team must count on its younger players to contribute, and “fill [the] shoes,” of players who graduated. Still, his confidence was strong, particularly for the returning players, whether they started or not.
“They know what it takes to win a title and how hard they have to work,” Fuller said. “We won’t miss much of a beat. We are picking up where we left off last year. If we continue on that, we’ll be fine.”
Leading the charge is Leal, who will be joined by senior second baseman Addie Vayas, junior catcher Haleigh Madden and senior shortshop Maddy Shannon.
Vayas believes lessons learned from the class of 2013 gave a blueprint to guide the next group of Lady Rebels.
“We already been through it; we saw how the seniors were. We have an idea of how we should lead the team,” Vayas said. “We know what to do for the girls under us, and help them become leaders.”
Fuller and the team prepare for every team’s best shot. More so in district, with Fuller saying every game would be a challenge.
All expect nothing less from their opposition.
“(Winning a state title) was last year and last season. Everyone wants a piece of us now,” Leal said. “(This is) a new team, a new beginning.”
