By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — Mario Rodriguez’s decision not to have t-shirts made to commemorate Weslaco High’s playoff berth did not come without resistance.
But the move, he argued, was justified. Making the playoffs for the second year in a row was expected, Rodriguez said.
“Now, it’s like, what’re you going to do in the playoffs?” he said.
In gearing up for a rematch of last year’s bi-district matchup against Brownsville Veterans Memorial, the Lady Panthers are looking to atone for a 2-1 series loss.
At the time, Weslaco finished in a three-way tie for first place in district and was considered by some the favorites to win their first-round match. Instead, the Lady Panthers dropped their decisive game 10-2, prompting changes within the program.
Rodriguez worked on having his players be more selective with their swings, and he altered the lineup to feature more bunting and slapping. By converting some right-handed hitters to lefty slappers, Rodriguez felt his team could generate more runs.
What came of it was a .495 hitting percentage during district play, along with four different players smashing home runs this year.
“It helps because there’s some teams that don’t defend that too well,” shortstop Alyssa Escamilla said. “So with our speed, it puts more pressure on the defense. It gives them something more to think about. Not just making a clean stop, but having to make a clean stop and a clean throw.”
Rodriguez introduced weighted balls at practice this season, and the team also began using the pitching machine more frequently. With pitches being spit out at 57 miles per hour, the Lady Panthers have been able to work on their speed and timing. And on occasion, Rodriguez will shorten the distance between the machine and the batter, shrinking the time they have to decide what to do with an oncoming pitch.
“We didn’t do that as much last year, but it’s really helped out with our bat control and bat speed,” pitcher Taylor Tafolla said. “It helps us so that in games, the pitches actually seem slower compared to the pitching machine.”
As the Lady Panthers (23-5, 9-3 in district) prepared for their first-round series beginning at 7:30 tonight, they reviewed game film on Brownsville Veterans Memorial. Tafolla jotted down notes on what pitches the Lady Chargers tend to swing at, and Escamilla charted their tendencies for stealing bases.
It’s part of Weslaco High’s attempt to revise its approach to the playoffs. The team is more focused and better equipped for the rigors of a playoff series.
“We’re just learning from our fielding mistakes, pitching mistakes,” Tafolla said. “We remember the game last year, so we’re just trying to educate ourselves for this game.”
Outside of hitting, the team has worked on its base-running, realizing it squandered too many opportunities last year.
What also seemed to affect the team was stamina. Last year, Weslaco High played two games on the same day — the first one a 10-0 rout in its favor before dropping the final game 10-2 in a season-ending loss. That inspired players to devote more time in the weight room, running around campus and getting their field work done with their adrenaline up.
With the heat in the high 90s this week, Rodriguez moved at least one practice to later in the evening. By doing that, Rodriguez felt he could maximize his players’ full potential as they prepare for Game 1 tonight.
“Last year, it was like, ‘Great, we made the playoffs. But now what?’” Rodriguez said. “This year, it’s like, we’re in and we want to make something out of it. The girls were asking for playoff shirts, and I told them we’ll order them when we win the bi-district championship. Just making the playoffs doesn’t mean anything.
“Hopefully the girls take that personal and say, ‘OK, let’s make something out of this.’”