With the mindset of building off of last season’s trip to the UIL Class 5A state semifinals, the Dripping Springs Tigers hope to go a few steps further in 2018.
Last season, the Lady Tigers went 35-9 overall, 13-1 in district, and advanced all the way to the state tournament in Austin.
Head Coach Wade Womack, who has led the Tiger softball program for five years, harbors plans on returning to the state tournament.
“Our goal is to repeat what we did and go one round further. The girls have been working hard this off-season, and they want to duplicate what we did last year,” Womack said.
The Tiger pitching staff was deep a season ago, and the majority of that staff is returning.
Senior Paige Leschber looks to be the ace of the staff, as she was a crucial part of the staff a season ago. She finished last season 8-3 on the mound.
Junior Kyndall Womack got some valuable experience last season in the circle by going 4-1.
An exciting newcomer to Dripping Springs is junior pitcher Logan Hulon, who is a transfer from Marble Falls High.
Last season, Logan led all Austin Area pitchers in strikeouts with 300 and looks to be an exciting arm for the Tigers.
Coach Womack held confidence in his pitching staff.
“We’re going to be deep once again. They all bring something to the plate. Different velocities, different spins,” Womack said.
Offensively, the Tigers aim to improve in 2018. Last season, the Tigers hit .324 as a team, which was down from the 2016 season.
The Tigers will attempt to do so while replacing two of their most productive hitters who graduated last season.
Coach Womack wants his team to be “more selective and hit our pitch instead of the pitcher’s pitch.”
Womack also said his team’s greatest offensive strength was going to be its “team speed.”
Junior Camille Corona will be the tone setter for the Tigers, as she hit a whopping .447 a year ago and stole 57 bases. As a team, Dripping Springs stole a school record 170 bases in 2017.
Third basemen Ryann Campbell will be a big source of power for the Tigers. A year ago, the junior hit .296 with 22 RBIs, 13 doubles, and 3 home runs. Seniors Riley Dunn, Annie Hudson, and Danielle Northrup also look to contribute. The three seniors will be key leadership figures on the team, and all add firepower to the Tigers line-up.
Experience is something this Dripping Springs team has in bunches. The roster will be comprised of 13 upper class men and only 3 underclassmen.
The Tigers have six seniors, seven juniors, and 3 sophomores. This group has played in the state tournament, and deep into the tourney at that. Womack expects his upperclassmen “to be role models, leaders.”
“I’ve had them two or three years, and they know our system. They just need to go out, and execute the little things, and try to play perfect ball,” Womack said.
