Following their 8-1 win against Royce City, the varsity softball team advanced to the third round of playoffs, where they will face Waco Midway in Glen Rose on May 10. The Broncos were led by their high-powered offense and the stellar pitching performance from Natalie Moreaux. After losing a 12-inning duel in the first game of the series, an 8-1 comeback was huge for the team.
Assistant coach Cade Oliver reflected on that 12-inning loss and what caused the extra innings defeat.
“When you’re tired it’s hard to focus on nuances whereas if I can focus on the fundamentals, then I can fall back to that every time whether I’m tired or fresh,” Oliver said.
Coming into the season and in the early moments, the team struggled bonding with each other giving them a rocky start to the year. Throughout the season, this turned around with an 11-game winning streak from March 22 through April 25–over a month of straight wins.
“Our communication skills weren’t going well and our team bonding. Everyone clashed with each other,” sophomore Gianna Graves said. “ [Since then] we’ve just been respecting each other and playing to win not playing for ourselves.”
While the Broncos dominated the second half of the season, the playoffs are a different monster. Playoffs bring a more intense atmosphere, higher nerves and nearly no room for errors.
“I’m feeling confident and the intensity is high in us going into this next round. The energy is picking up because we want to fight and win,” Junior Natalie Moreaux said. “The win-or-go-home games are more electric because it’s late in the season and we want to go deep into playoffs.”
For the Broncos, calming the nerves and playing their way has been key. The one-two punch of Natalie Moreaux and lefty Ryleigh Stinson has given opposing teams tough times all year. Even outside of these two outstanding pitchers, they have competent pitchers letting the team stay calm and win.
“The pressure of a high-intensity game doesn’t really get to me,” Moreaux said. “We just have to play our game.”
On top of their pitching, the Broncos have thrived on the offensive side of the ball. With scores as high as 20 this year, their potent offense can take them deep in the playoffs as long as they stay confident. Coach Oliver looks to keep that confidence instilled in the team through pep talks, letting the team know they can do whatever they want with continued confidence in themselves.
“I’ve said all year, if we swing the bat, they can’t stop us,” Oliver said.
