BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — With half of district play in the books, District 30-6A doesn’t resemble its 2017 self.
There was a three-team horse race between McAllen Memorial, McAllen High and La Joya High for a district championship. The winner wasn’t decided until the regular season’s final week, and it predictably produced a shared title between McAllen Memorial and McHi.
The Coyotes are the team to beat in 2018, as they have already clinched a playoff spot by finishing a sweep of fifth-place Mission High last Friday, which leaves three playoff spots up for grabs. The Mustangs (11-13, 5-2) are in the thick of it.
“A lot of people have the misconception that a rebuilding year is acceptable,” McAllen Memorial coach Audra Benavidez said. “When my athletes came in this year, I told them that they’re following a group of leaders that won a district championship and that my expectations aren’t going to be lowered.”
In fact, they’ve won back-to-back district championships, but the Mustangs are considerably younger, specifically in the circle. Sophomore Kayla Dow was the team’s starting shortstop as a freshman and began this season as the No. 1 starter.
McAllen Memorial competed in the annual Mission Fastpitch Festival to kick-start the regular season. Before the Mustangs’ Saturday afternoon game against Corpus Christi King, Benavidez elected to rest Dow during the fifth game of the tournament and have her play shortstop instead.
“She (Kayla) was going after a pop-up, and that’s when she got into a collision in the outfield,” Benavidez said.
The collision resulted in a meniscus and MCL sprain in her right knee, which kept Dow off the field for three weeks.
“I was scared, because I couldn’t actually feel my knee when it happened,” Dow said. “I was thinking, ‘Well, there goes my season. This can’t be happening.’ I loved playing with this team. I didn’t want to be out at all.”
Dow figured she would miss significant time due to rehab.
“I had to do knee lifts and work on a bicycle just to get the right amount of movement and not for it to buckle in and out,” Dow said. “I had to take it slow, but I loved watching my team play and supporting them. Watching them helped me learn what I needed to do once I came back. Now, I’m fully recovered, and everything’s great.”
Dow returned to action for the second game of the district season, against Mission High on March 6. She’s hitting .366 at the plate with three doubles, two triples and 12 runs batted in. In her most recent start, Dow surrendered one earned run on 11 hits and struck out seven in Memorial’s 10-5 win over La Joya Palmview on Friday.
“I think coming back from the injury has made her stronger,” Benavidez said. “She’s had to push through knowing her team was counting on her. They accepted (freshman pitcher) Alejandra (Landa) coming through for Kayla even though she wasn’t in her comfort zone and still doing what she can until Kayla came back. She’s growing up faster than she thinks she is.”
Receiving contributions from underclassmen like Dow and Landa make a presence like first baseman Jalene Rodriguez all the more vital. Rodriguez is one of four seniors on the club and has carried a big stick as Memorial’s cleanup hitter. She’s batting .411 with five doubles, 14 runs batted in and 18 runs scored, and her on-base plus slugging percentage is a gaudy 1.015.
“It’s all about putting the ball in play and not letting any pitch go that might look close to being a strike,” Rodriguez said.
After participating in three consecutive playoff appearances, which includes two trips to the area round, Rodriguez’s role on the team has evolved beyond the diamond.
“I’ve had to learn how to motivate others around me as opposed to being the one who is being motivated,” Rodriguez said. “I continue to remind the girls about the experience of what it will take to win district championships and get to the area round. It’s going to take a lot, and we have to remember to not get too down and play until the last out.”
“One of the things about Jalene is that she’s consistent, and the girls feed off that,” Benavidez said. “Her consistency, her maturity, and her leadership on and off the field. She’s an excellent student-athlete, and she’s always been a positive leader. The kids absorb all of that.”
Following a disappointing bi-district loss in 2017, Benavidez’s primary focus is going on a playoff run that includes a return to the area round.
“That’s what we’re striving for,” Benavidez said. “That’s the one thing we have in mind: getting past the first round.”