By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — Desi Marmolejo carried the weight of three teams on her shoulder last year, though none bigger than her pitching and hitting duties for the Edinburg High softball program.
As a freshman, Marmolejo spent virtually every game in the circle and was the Lady Bobcats’ leadoff hitter. This year, she leads the order once again, but has the benefit of the occasional night off from pitching, with a capable backup providing relief.
“It’s helped her,” coach Jesse Banda said. “She’s coming back stronger. She doesn’t have to pitch every game; she gets to relax a little bit more. And she doesn’t have as much stress.”
Marmolejo is better able to deal with stress this season. For one, she’s experienced a season full of it — as a freshman, at that. And she has roster full of teammates that have been through the battles together.
Things are going much more smoothly this year for Marmolejo, who helped Edinburg (14-5, 5-1) draw a three-way tie for first place in District 31-6A heading into Thursday. The sophomore entered this season with a full year of experience under her belt, along with an offseason working one-on-one with a pitching coach.
Twice a week, Marmolejo traveled to Brownsville to work on her technique over the summer. Now, she’s enjoying the fruits of her labor, pitting a young Lady Bobcats team in the race for a district title.
What’s different in Year 2? Marmolejo is hitting her location better. She has better control of her pitches, and more variety in her arsenal. Last year, she relied heavily on her fastball and curveball. Now, she has a screwball and a rising ball at her disposal.
“It’s helped,” Banda said. “She was willing to work extra hard to develop that and it’s paid off.”
So far, she’s been able to amass a 10-1 overall record and 3-1 in district, sitting out two games recently after a ball hit her foot and swelled. During that time, freshman Naomi Reyes went 2-0.
At Edinburg, Marmolejo is one of several young players doing their part to lead the Lady Bobcats back to prominence. In 2013, the team went 30-4, winning a district title and advancing to the fourth round of the playoffs — the latter two accomplishments that Edinburg earned four years in a row.
With that group gone and the talent pool shared now with another Edinburg school in Vela, the Lady Bobcats have retooled with mostly young players. The senior leadership falls on two players, with the remaining 14 doing their part to ignite the squad.
Last year, Edinburg was stopped short of advancing to the third round after losing a third-game series to Los Fresnos.
Marmolejo fought valiantly to keep her team in the series, forcing a decisive third game. But the constant workload was too much for her shoulder.
“It hurt a lot and especially after games because I would pitch back-to-back at tournaments,” Marmolejo said about last season. “It was hard for me because I would have to keep going and keep pushing myself. But I didn’t give up and I tried my best for my team.
“This year, it’s much better. I have good sisters behind my back and that’s what counts.”
Sonny Villarreal, an assistant at Edinburg, says that experience last year did more to help Marmolejo’s development than hurt it. With a lack of pitching depth, she was relied upon night in and night out, but by the same token it accelerated the learning process.
Marmolejo tired toward the latter end of last season, especially after having played volleyball and competed in track and field. Constantly performing during the heat in April didn’t help much, either, Banda realizes.
“A lot of teams do it, but eventually it’ll catch up to you,” he said, “especially in the Sweet 16, when you’ve got to have your pitchers (healthy).”
That’s the goal this year, to have Marmolejo well-rested by the time postseason rolls around.
“We have our team, and we’re stronger than last year,” Marmolejo said. “I feel like I have more confidence in my pitching because they have my back in any situation. It’s going to be a good ride for us.”