Lady Stangs focus on district opener
MARBLE FALLS — Following Tuesday’s 9-5 loss to Brownwood, Marble Falls High School head softball coach David Orsag told his players to put the defeat behind them and focus on the District 25-4A opener at Lake Travis at 7 p.m. Friday.
Every team in district is undefeated, he added.
In many ways, the Lady Cavaliers and the Lady Mustangs mirror each other.
Marble Falls is 4-16, while Lake Travis has a record of 4-18.
Historically, softball is the one sport Lake Travis struggles with. While the athletic program has enjoyed playoff appearances in football, boys and girls basketball, swimming, volleyball, boys and girls golf, boys and girls soccer, and tennis and baseball, they have yet to advance a team to the softball playoffs.
As a result, Lake Travis hired a new coach, Christie Knox.
Orsag believes facing the Lady Cavs in the first round just might be what Marble Falls needs to get going.
“It might be good from what I know about them from the past,” the Lady Mustangs skipper said. “But that’s also what’s scary if we don’t play well.”
The Lady Mustangs will hand the ball to junior pitcher Payton Peril.
It has not been an easy pre-district season for Marble Falls.
In addition to replacing pitcher Taylor Hoffmans, who graduated as the all-time leader in wins with 43, the Lady Mustangs had to find a new centerfielder and third baseman when Kim Burnett and Valerie Simmank also graduated.
In addition, injuries have forced Orsag to dig deeper into the bench, with juniors Amanda Noblin and Mallory Carroll sidelined.
“(Carroll) spent two years on JV,” the coach said. “She stepped up this year and has done a good job.”
Noblin was in her second year on the varsity.
Their absences have forced freshman Alicia Macias, the No. 2 pitcher, to play second base.
Other starting freshmen include Katie Whitecotton, Abby Henry and Hailey Wooten.
Henry has been at second, third and in the outfield.
“They may not be prepared to play varsity, but they’re getting some big-time experience right off the bat,” Orsag said. “The young ones who played a year of JV, they’re getting right in the fire.”
He was hoping the Lady Mustangs could follow the 2-0 win against Granger last week with one at Brownwood in order to take momentum into the district opener.
Instead, the Lady Mustangs committed numerous errors, had several mental mistakes and struggled at the plate — resulting in a 9-0 deficit.
Only when Brownwood tried to squeeze in the 10th run did Marble Falls respond by scoring five straight. And when the last out was made to end the game, the Lady Mustang had two runners in scoring position.
Orsag said he was pleased with the fight in his players. He just wished they had played like that the entire contest.
Still, most of the 16 losses have come against good teams or by the smallest of margins.
“We’ve lost so many close ones, they may not think they can win one,” Orsag said. “At (the A&M Consolidated Tournament) we played good teams. We were close the whole tournament. You try to get something positive from going 0-5.”
The district schedule may favor Marble Falls. They will face teams that finished behind them in the standings a year ago before facing powerhouses Lampasas and Pflugerville Hendrickson at the end of the first round. Lampasas is the defending district champion, and Pflugerville Hendrickson is the league runner-up.
Following the Lake Travis contest, the Lady Mustangs will travel to face Hutto Tuesday, host Killeen March 26, visit Lampasas March 30 and welcome Hendrickson April 1.