by JASON GORDON
Allison Uresti practices a squeeze-bunt play during practice on Monday as the Hays softball team prepares to face Mongolia in a best-of-three series beginning Friday night in Bryan. The Lady Rebs are looking to snap a seven-year winless drought in the postseason. (Photo by Jason Gordon)
Most teams would have been satisfied with a victory over the fourth-ranked team in the state to close out the regular season, no matter what happened in the upcoming playoffs.
Not Hays, however, as the Lady Rebels look to snap nearly a decade’s worth of postseason misery.
The two seniors on this year’s Hays softball team, pitcher Amanda Ruiz and outfielder Taylor McDaniel, were in fifth grade the last time the Lady Rebs enjoyed first-round playoff success seven years ago.
Since then, Hays has qualified for the playoffs five times but have made five straight early exits, failing to advance to the second round.
The Lady Rebels will try to snap that trend when they begin a best-of-three playoff series Friday night against Magnolia, the 22nd-ranked team in Class 4A. All games will take place at Rudder High School in Bryan and will begin at 7 p.m. Games one and two are Friday and Saturday, and game three, if needed, will be Monday.
“Winning in the playoffs has been on our minds all season long,” said Hays second baseman Mary Ann Rizo. “We want to do it for our seniors, and we want to win to start a new tradition of playoff success in the Hays softball program.”
Hays certainly comes into the playoffs with momentum, having knocked off No. 4 Elgin 2-0 in the last game of the regular season.
“We gained a ton of confidence after the Elgin game, but we know we have to continue playing at that level to do well against Magnolia,” said Hays catcher Dani Alvarado. “If we play with the same kind of drive and heart, we can do it.”
Hays head coach Jo Farr said she thinks she has the team this year to snap the Lady Rebs’ streak of playoff futility.
“If we play with the same kind of intensity, where we have our pitching, hitting and defense working like we did against Elgin, I think we can take ’em,” Farr said. “This is a team that’s mixed some veteran leadership with talented youth and things have clicked at the right time.”
Farr added that she has the advantage of more talent up and down the roster than in recent years.
“We can pull people in and out of the lineup and can put them in different spots in the field without missing a beat,” Farr said. “That’s a great luxury to have in the playoffs, especially in a series, because you never know what’s going to happen.”
Freshman shortstop Hannah Ramsey said her first year on varsity has been a great learning experience, but it’s not going to feel like a total success unless the Lady Rebels knock off Magnolia and advance.
“I think we’re trying to take this program to the next level,” Ramsey said. “Accomplishing that goal starts this weekend against Magnolia.”
