BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
ALAMO — In 2016, PSJA Memorial pulled off one of the biggest shockers in Texas softball.
The Wolverines entered their three-game bi-district round series against San Benito as the clear underdogs. The Greyhounds had everything going for them. They had only one loss on the season, were the No. 1 ranked team in the Valley, the No. 4 Class 6A team statewide and No. 16 in USA Today’s top 25 nationwide softball power rankings. On the other side, the Wolverines had a losing record as their district’s No. 4 seed.
PSJA Memorial lost the first game of the series, but roared back to take the next two games and the series from San Benito. The Wolverines continued to turn heads, finishing in the third round of the playoffs.
“It was a really fun experience,” PSJA Memorial senior outfielder Kristy Alanis said. “I want the rest of our underclassmen to experience that like we did. It was crazy seeing all the fans coming and filling the stands up. It was pretty cool.”
Alanis was a freshman three years ago, but she wasn’t the only freshman thrust into the spotlight during the Wolverines’ 2016 postseason run. Catcher Victoria Maldonado is another senior tasked with bringing up the younger Wolverines.
“It’s a big role for all of us, but we have a lot of fun with the underclassmen,” Alanis said. “I’ve gained a lot of confidence over the years because of the seniors that were around during my freshman year. I know that really helped me, so it’s our job to make sure they are doing their part, but also have fun with them too. I feel like they enjoy having us around.”
As a senior, a lot rides on Alanis’ shoulders. Last season, Alanis showed off her talents on the field and at the plate.
Alanis was selected as an All-Area Second Team performer by The Monitor in 2018. She hit .521 and scored 49 runs from the leadoff spot in the Wolverines’ lineup. She also flashed the leather in center field with a .988 fielding percentage.
“It just comes to practicing a lot and not being afraid of diving,” Alanis said. “I have the mentality that I’m not going to let any ball drop if it comes in front of me. That mentality has helped out a lot. As a leadoff hitter, the way I start is the way the rest of the girls are going to start. It gets the game and our offense going.”
Alanis lived up to her high standards Tuesday against Sharyland Pioneer. She led off the first inning with a walk and later came around to score the game’s first run. Alanis was the first of PSJA Memorial’s 16 runs scored in the inning.
Later in the first, she cleared the bases with a three-run triple. In the bottom of the third, Alanis’ single brought home the final PSJA Memorial run of the night in its 17-2 win against the Diamondbacks.
“She’s a silent leader — that’s what I’ll call her,” PSJA Memorial interim softball coach Raquel Barbosa said. “She’s not a vocal leader, but she hustles out on the field and leads by example. If I ask her to do something, she does it without hesitation. Leading by example is the biggest role she plays on this team because she sets the example for the younger ones. It doesn’t matter whether it’s raining or not. She always shows up.”
The Wolverines came into the 2019 preseason heralded as one of the top teams in the Valley. Former coach Gilberto Rodriguez, PSJA Memorial’s coach during its Cinderella run in 2016, was reassigned earlier in non-district competition after it was discovered an ineligible player saw the field in three games for the Wolverines. PSJA ISD tabbed Barbosa, one of Rodriguez’s assistants, as the interim for the remainder of the season.
PSJA Memorial (14-6-1, 5-0) couldn’t carry over any 2016 playoff mojo into 2017 and 2018, losing in the first round of the postseason in back-to-back years. Despite losing their coach and adjusting to a new district (31-5A), the Wolverines are still looking to do some serious damage.
“(District) 31-6A was really hard, but I think coming down (to 31-5A) was good for us,” Alanis said. “We want to win the district, of course, go really far in the playoffs and hopefully make it to state.”