The sound of popping leather gloves and cracking metal bats echoes throughout the air as 20 varsity softball players practice for the upcoming season. 

The softball team starts non-district games on Feb. 13, and district play starts on March 5. The Bronco softball team finished last year with a 10-4 district record and made it to the second round of playoffs.

“Our goals this year are to make it further in the playoffs than we did last year and to be a more fundamentally sound and consistent team,” Head Coach Terry Tiffee said. “The more consistent teams are the better teams.”

This marks Tiffee’s second season as head coach. However, two new assistant coaches joined the coaching staff this year. Coach Waylon Whitney came from Maypearl High School and Coach Cade Oliver came from coaching baseball.

“Now we have three coaches who know the sport. Last year we had two and a basketball coach who didn’t know anything about it. So we’ve got three coaches that know what’s going on, know what supposed to be done, and know how it’s supposed to be done,” Coach Tiffee said. “It’s more efficient for practice, games, and everything.”

Although the coaching staff is almost completely new, the team only graduated four seniors last year. Seven out of the ten starters from the 2022-23 season are returning. 

“I want to see some of these girls play a little bit better to see how they develop throughout the year because we have the talent. It’s just a matter of putting it together and being consistent,” Tiffee said. “I want them to have a grinder mentality. They’re gonna grind it out. Grind out at-bats, grind out when things aren’t going your way, and keep going when they are.”

Sophomore Alexa DiPaola played varsity last year as a freshman and looks forward to playing this season.

“My goal for this year is to better my mindset throughout the season,” DiPaola said. “Last year I had a rough season, so the only way to go is up and I am a lot mentally stronger than I was last year.”

Tiffee expects the team to be competing for the district championship title and to make it deeper in the playoffs than last year. 

“There’s about half the district is good and half are okay,” Coach Tiffee said. “I would expect us and Lake Ridge to be fighting for the district championship, maybe Waxahachie and Mansfield all fighting for the district. Probably more so us and Lake Ridge.”