WESLACO — When Weslaco East’s season was stopped abruptly last year, it left a pit in the Wildcats’ stomachs.
After shattering the school’s all-time single-season home run record during the season’s first month, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic ended softball season prematurely across the Rio Grande Valley.
One year later, however, after a global pandemic upended their 2020 campaign, the Wildcats are back hungrier than before and determined not to allow anything to prevent them from rewriting East’s record books.
“We were off to a great start last year,” Wildcats catcher Jaisy Caceres said. “We all knew it. We could feel it. Having our statement season taken from us left us wanting to prove ourselves even more.”
“I think a lot of these kids came in really hungry. They kind of lost that whole season and they worked really hard in the offseason on their own,” Weslaco East head coach Victoria Vasquez said. “In the summer, we were cut off again. They kind of had to do a lot of stuff on their own and keep up to date with everything. I think that has kind of driven us to where we’re at right now.”
Caceres and the Wildcats have picked up where they left off, cementing their standing as one of the RGV’s premier power-hitting teams.
East has used an unprecedented power surge to smash the school record for home runs in a season for the second year in a row.
The Wildcats have crushed 20 home runs in 14 games and many more near long balls that the team refers to as “wallies,” pushing well beyond the previous record high of 12.
Five of East’s everyday starters have clubbed at least one home run, while another five Wildcats have tallied a batting average of .420 or higher two months into the 2021 campaign.
“(It’s all about) attitude walking up to the plate, being able to see and read the pitches, and most importantly using my whole body to hit the ball,” Caceres said. “Knowing that everyone on our lineup is capable of executing a hit relieves a lot of stress when I step in the box.”
“It’s so much easier,” freshman designated player Cecilia Bautista said. “Our lineup is so crazy that if you try to intentionally walk somebody, you’re going to get another better batter real quick. We have slappers in between too, so it’s just a crazy lineup this year.”
Caceres and Bautista have thrived as the team’s No. 3 and 4 hitters this season.
Caceres leads the team with nine home runs, 26 RBIs and a .510 batting average, which has allowed Bautista to excel behind her in the order as East’s cleanup hitter.
During her first varsity season, Bautista has 20 RBIs and three home runs, which rank second and third on the team, respectively.
“She’s got the best batting average (recently) for us,” Vasquez said. “She came in and kind of just took over where we left off.”
The top of the Wildcats’ lineup is also bolstered by a hard-hitting set of twins: Ariana and Melissa Cabrera.
The Cabrera twins have become the perfect pair of complementary batters in the No. 1 and 2 spots in East’s batting order.
Melissa serves as the table setter with a .420 average and the second-most hits (21) of any of the Wildcats’ everyday starters. Ariana, meanwhile, swings one of the Valley’s most respected big bats totaling 16 RBIs, 14 walks and five home runs, including a three-homer night in East’s 16-13 win over Brownsville Veterans on Tuesday.
“I think what’s really helped us out is our batting,” Melissa Cabrera said. “We’ve been doing really good and getting a lot of hits. It’s also kind of a cushion for us on defense because we’re a little more relaxed.”
“The more runs we put up, the more confident we become,” Ariana Cabrera said. “We don’t swing for the fences, which helps. We usually just try to get base hits and sometimes it just happens.”
Weslaco East’s power surge has the team dominating most of their opposition in district play.
After making the transition from Class 6A to 5A this season, the Wildcats have battled their way to a 7-3 mark in District 32-5A and a three-way tie for second place with Brownsville Vets and Edcouch-Elsa with four regular-season games to go.
The team believes its work in the weight room and attention to detail in a wide variety of new hitting drills and techniques have greatly contributed to its 11.3 runs per game in district.
“I think those drills that Coach V has brought in have made us become better hitters, and all the extra time we’ve put into the weight room has given us the ability to put some real power behind the ball,” Caceres said. “We have (also) learned that home run hitting is equal parts physical and mental. We take care of the physical part in practice and the mental part comes with the bond that we have created within the team.”
East is poised to finish the regular season in second place in District 32-5A if it can win out its final four games.
The Wildcats feel they have the offensive firepower to get it done, reach the 30-home run threshold as a team and leave a lasting mark during their first 5A postseason appearance.
“I think we are adjusting because 6A was a lot of bigger schools and our schedule last year was crazy,” Bautista said. “I feel like we’re really rising to the occasion and seeing that we’re one of those.”
“Last year, we didn’t get to finish the season how we wanted and that really got to us,” Melissa Cabrera said. “We wanted to come back this year and be even better than we were last year, and we’re doing that now.”
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Twitter: @ByAndyMcCulloch
