Softball fired on all cylinders
This year for Big 7 Softball was one for the record books. Five of the seven teams from MCISD, SISD, and LJISD made the playoffs; the Veterans Memorial Patriots, Mission Eagles, Pioneer Diamondbacks, Palmview Lobos, and the La Joya Coyotes.
Progress Times photo by Joe Vela.
Mission Veterans Patriots and Mission Eagles
Head Coach Vivian Ray and her Mission Veterans Lady Patriots finished in 4th place with a 8-6 record in District 30-5A. The Patriots had a lot of movement in their lineup which kept them from reaching their full potential. This allowed for a lot of the underclassmen for the Patriots to step up and gain experience at the varsity level. The Lady Patriots season came to an end in the Bi-district round as they lost their best-of-three series with the Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial Eagles. The Patriots season was a success despite an early exit as they did their best with what was given to them. The underclassman varsity experience should boost them next year as they’ll continue to compete for a district championship.
Head coach Priscilla Aparicio and her Mission Lady Eagles finished in 4th place with a 4-6 record in District 31-6A. Their season came to an end after losing their best-of-three Bi-district round series with the Weslaco Panthers. The Eagles have been on an upwards trajectory over the last couple of seasons. They’ve made the playoffs in three of their last four seasons and they’re on track to making it again as they get reclassified to 5A.
Sharyland Rattlers and Pioneer Diamondbacks
Sharyland Pioneer pitcher, Arlyn Reyes #23, pitched a solid game to help take the win over the Mcallen Lady Bulldogs. Progress Times photo by Mario Magallon
Head coach Josh Silva and his Sharyland Lady Rattlers finished in 5th place with a 10-7 record in District 31-5A. They came very close to making the playoffs as they tied for 4th place, but the tiebreaker was not in their favor. As a result, they missed out on the playoffs. The Lady Rattlers have put together a number of great seasons but have not made the playoffs over the last two. This is sure to turn around with the quality of talent and the elite coaches that make up this program.
Head coach Orlando Garcia and his Pioneer Lady Diamondbacks finished in 2nd place with a 15-3 record in District 31-5A. Despite not being able to win the district title, the Diamondbacks were able to win a bi-district championship and competed for the area championship. Their season came to an end in the Area round in a best-of-three series with the Palmview Lobos. The Diamondbacks are known for making the playoffs as they have for ten years in a row. There is no sign of them slowing down either as they’re going to be bringing back a couple of key players and bringing in fresh talent to their squad.
Juarez-Lincoln Huskies, Palmview Lobos and La Joya Coyotes
The Lady Lobos celebrate their win over the Lady D-Backs taking game three with a score of 9-0 in 7 innings. Progress Times photo by Mario Magallon
Head coach Javier Diaz and his Juarez-Lincoln Lady Huskies finished in 6th place with a 3-11 record in District 30-5A. They had not won a single district game in program history. That changed this year when they were able to win not one or two, but three, games. They’ll be working on growing that number as they have now created a foundation of success for years to come.
Head coach Jessica Cardenas-Russell and her Palmview Lady Lobos finished in first place with a 13-1 record in District 30-5A. This was the first year in program history that they’ve won a district championship. They continued their historic run in the playoffs when they won a Bi-district championship and an Area championship. Their season came to an end in a winner-takes-all game against the Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial Eagles. This group set the bar high for the future Lady Lobos and they’ll be returning a majority of their team next year so they will be a team to beat.
Head coach Charlie Rodriguez and his La Joya Lady Coyotes finished in first place with a 10-0 record in District 31-6A. This made them the back-to-back district champions. This program has been making a lot of noise as of late and they’re only getting better. They continued their run in the playoffs and won a Bi-district championship as well as an Area championship. Their playoff run came to an end in a best-of-three series with the Weslaco Panthers. There is no doubt that this team will return to the field next year with an elite squad.
This wraps up this season in Big 7 Softball. It was a great one as many of our teams found success during the season and in the playoffs. The hope is that these teams will continue this for years to come and bring more success to their programs. Progress Times congratulates all the teams and their players for putting in hard work and dedication all season long.