Weslaco High head coach Mario Rodriguez and Harlingen South head coach Joey Rios have both said during their teams run to state that they are proud of how everyone has stepped up and have produced, especially offensively.
The Panthers and Hawks head to state on Friday with deep lineups that have been extremely disciplined at the plate and will look to do the same in Austin. Both teams are coming off their best offensive performances to win region titles in Class 6A and 5A respectively.
Harlingen South takes on Aledo at 1 p.m. Friday in the Class 5A state semifinal. Weslaco High plays Denton Guyer immediately after or at 4 p.m. in the Class 6A state semis at McCombs Field in Austin.
Weslaco High
The Panthers have put up 50 runs combined in their last three games, 13 against Lake Travis and 37 in two games against San Antonio Brennan.
Seven of the Panthers 10 playoff wins have come via the run-rule, outscoring an opponent by 10 runs or more by at least the fifth inning, and doing so with the lineup picking up huge hits and great base runners on the bench ready to pounce.
Rodriguez has the ability to move the lineup around, but lately he has gone with Alexis Soliz to lead off, followed by Lola Reyes, Mia Rodriguez, Clarissa Mejia, Elizabeth Craig, Romy Nuñez, Andrea Ortiz, Ema Galvan and Dayla Hinojosa with pitcher Madelynn Cantu flexed.
Panthers right fielder Ema Galvan bats in that eight spot and had a huge series against Brennan going 4-for-5 with seven RBIs, a walk and a home run. Galvan is not planning on playing college softball, so she is enjoying her last games with her teammates.
“I want to end my season knowing I played as hard as I could and with as much effort as I could,” Galvan said.
Reyes, a junior, is capable of picking up a run with her speed. She was driven in by sophomore Dayla Hinojosa to pick up the winning run in Game 1 against La Joya High in round three. The Panthers won 1-0.
“When I am on base I just have to take advantage of every opportunity I get,” Reyes said. “If the ball is thrown away I am going to take the extra base. I will take what they give because, at this point in the final four, they are not going to give many opportunities.”
Reyes scored five runs in the regional final series and Hinojosa drove in five runs.
The Panthers have a lot of power in the middle of their lineup. Mia Rodriguez, Mejia, Craig and Nuñez really put pressure on pitchers with their abilities to hit the deep ball, especially lately.
Mejia, a sophomore, has seven home runs this postseason. The Panthers have 18 total home runs during the playoffs.
“I have done my job on most of them,” Mejia said. “Most of my home runs I was just trying to get on base. I was not aiming for them, they come when you are not trying to hit them, so I have just been trying to get base hits and they go over.”
Mejia hopes to put one into the apartments near McCombs Field.
The senior batters for Weslaco High – Craig, Rodriguez, Nuñez, Soliz and Galvan all usually have quality at bats where they make pitchers work and come through with big hits as senior leaders.
Harlingen South
Watch Harlingen South’s Game 2 Regional Finals Highlights on the HCISD Facebook page.
The Hawks put up 28 runs in two games past Liberty Hill to capture their regional title and also their best output of the playoffs. Similar to Weslaco High, everyone was hitting or picking up quality at bats to easily outpace their opponent.
Harlingen South lineup starts with Yezenia Perez, followed by Lexi Sandoval, Amira Rodriguez, Emily Ruiz, Jaylin Mata, Kailee Silva, Kara Jensen, Natalie Martinez and Haley Vasquez.
Everyone in the lineup picked up a hit in the Liberty Hill series.
Martinez is the designated hitter for the Hawks and like Weslaco High’s Galvan, Martinez is not going to play college softball next year. Martinez has a similar mindset of enjoying the last few days of softball before going to college for academics.
Martinez wants to do as much as she can for her team and she has been another clutch Hawk. Martinez and most of her teammates struggled at the plate Game 1 in the fourth round against Leander and after going 0-for-3 that game, Martinez went 5-for-12 with three walks and two RBIs in the lead up to state.
“I have just been staying out of my head,” Martinez said. “I was really in my head, telling myself negative stuff, but recently I have gone up to the plate with a clear head and I feel calm, I feel good and I am remember who I am doing this all for.”
The Hawks have some heavy hitters in the top of the lineup with Perez, Sandoval and Rodriguez. Perez, the lone senior of the top of the batting order, has been another clutch batter recently.
Perez has been on fire after also going 0-for-3 in Game 1 against Leander. Perez is 8-for-17 with seven RBIs and a walk the last four games.
“I have been doing pretty well and have stepped it up compared to some other games,” Perez said. “I am just not trying to think as much. I am more calm in the batter box and it has helped me a lot.”
Ruiz and Mata have had walk-off wins. Sandoval and Rodriguez have had some deep shots while Silva, Jensen and Vasquez have been really smart at the plate, picking up walks and producing hits for the Hawks.
Both teams expect solid pitching from both of their state semifinal opponents, and possibly final opponents.
