BY MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — After losing in the second round of the playoffs last year, Sharyland Pioneer coach Orlando Garcia mapped out a new plan.
In 2016, he wanted shorter, sharper practices, with a clearer focus. By emphasizing hitting, and shaving practice by 30 minutes on some days, Garcia felt he could get the most out of his team. What’s come of it is a 6-0 record through the first half of district, and a firstplace standing in 31-5A.
“I don’t like dragging practice for 2 or 3 hours,” Garcia said. “I always tell them, if we take care of business, we could leave.”
As junior catcher Karina Lopez sees it, practices move at a quicker pace and with a sense of purpose.
“We just do our job — get our cuts in, batting-wise, fielding-wise,” Lopez said. “Do them right, of course.
The Lady Diamondbacks are one win better than they were at this point last year, and their core unit is flourishing. Lopez has become the team’s No. 2 hitter, batting .667 with nine RBIs and drawing six walks. Shortstop Emily Michki is batting .842 with 16 RBIs and no strikeouts. And Mariah Youngblood is undefeated in the circle, posting a .955 ERA.
The improvement comes on the heels of an inaugural season that included a third-place finish in district, and a playoff series win (the only team in 31-5A to earn that distinction in 2015).
It was after the Lady Diamondbacks were ousted from the area round that Garcia began to implement changes, however.
They ended the season losing two games to Medina Valley, drawing attention to some of their offensive inconsistencies. They were outscored 22-3 in that round, after losing 10-0 to Edinburg Vela and 8-1 to Mission Veterans Memorial as part of a three-game skid late in the regular season.
Garcia attributed part of that to two factors — the team didn’t have batting cages last year, and its field wasn’t finished until the midway point of district.
Once their batting cages were set up, though, Garcia harped on his players to get plenty of reps. If they showed adequate progress, the team was dismissed early. “We just get out here and do what we need to do,” Michki said. “Long practices are going to make you tired. They’re going to wear you out.
“So what’s wrong with cutting it 30 minutes?”
The time off has paid dividends all the way around. Players like Youngblood, who pitched every district game last year, find themselves fresher now. It also helps that Pioneer has a capable backup freshman in Madison Sparks, who has helped shoulder some of the load.
After going 8-4 in district last year, Youngblood is now 4-0 and is batting .526 with nine RBIs.
“I like the way we’re doing things,” Michki said. “We’re not that tired. We come in on game days and it’s like, ‘Let’s c’mon. Let’s get it.’”