BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — Two years ago, Taylor Chavez had about as good of a season as a freshman can have. The shortstop led Edinburg Vela in batting average (.476), hits (40), doubles (10), home runs (four) and runs batted in (31) en route to the SaberCats’ first-ever appearance in the area round of the playoffs.
The 2017 season, however, was less kind to Chavez and her Vela teammates.
“I knew I had to help my team out somehow, but I kind of went through a sophomore slump,” Chavez said. “We changed districts, so we had new teams to play with (and) new ways to approach different pitchers. It was definitely something different.”
Chavez’s numbers dipped in year two, and she led Vela in only one offensive category: doubles (seven). The SaberCats were swept out of the bi-district round of the playoffs.
“From her freshman year to her sophomore year, going from 5A to 6A is a huge leap,” Edinburg Vela coach Jon Maples said. “Now, she had to face teams like EHS and Edinburg North, who both have quality pitchers, and they did a great job scouting her. They found out what we do and what kinds of pitches she could hit.”
With one season in Class 6A under her belt, Chavez went back to the drawing board to prepare for 2018.
“I definitely take a lot more cuts now,” Chavez said. “I take extra batting practice on Sundays, and I even stay after practice with a few girls, where all we do is hit. It’s become a big part of our game to get more reps in.”
“She’s become more of a disciplined player,” Maples said. “She’s not trying to hit a home run every time she goes up to bat. She takes pitches. She battles with two strikes and makes other pitchers earn it to get her out. She has become the type of hitter who can read the pitcher and still come through with two strikes.”
Chavez returned and assumed her freshman-year role as the SaberCats’ top hitter. To date, she has 40 hits, 16 doubles, 42 RBIs and 34 runs scored, which all lead the club. Chavez’s success at the plate has been a strong predictor of Edinburg Vela’s on-field success throughout the year, as Vela has advanced to the area round of the playoffs.
After winning just 18 games in 2017, the SaberCats finished the regular season with 27 in the win column. They flexed their muscles early in non-district competition by making the title game of the annual Mission Fastpitch Festival and winning the La Joya Tournament championship in February.
Vela finished second in District 31-6A and drew the Weslaco High Panthers in the first round of the postseason. In Game 1 on the road, Chavez delivered for the SaberCats, breaking a 4-all tie in the eighth inning with a game-winning home run over the center-field wall.
“I didn’t think (a home run) had to happen,” Chavez said. “When we were up 4-3 and they (Weslaco High) had the bases loaded, my third baseman and I collided on a ball that should have been the last out of the inning. We miscommunicated. So when I came up to bat, I wasn’t nervous. I just knew that I had to pull through after I made that error. I didn’t know the ball went over the wall. I hit second base, and I heard everybody cheering, so I thought, ‘Maybe it’s gone, but I don’t know.’”
The SaberCats earned a 9-1 win on Saturday to advance in the playoffs, thanks in part to Chavez’s second home run of the series.
Though Weslaco finished third in a top-heavy District 32-6A, the senior-laden Panthers were not expected to bow out in the first round. Instead, Vela picked up two road wins at Weslaco High in three days.
“Going out there, we had to take their crowd out of the game,” Maples said. “We know they have some traditions of wearing masks and using noisemakers in the dugout. We told them before Thursday’s game that we needed to be just as loud as they were.”
“We brought all these items — noisemakers, hats, costumes, tutus. We went all out,” Chavez said. “We were making our noise, pumping our crowd up and doing our thing during the second inning (of Game 3). I don’t think they were ready for that.”
Now, the SaberCats (29-6) will contend with the Laredo Alexander Bulldogs (19-10), the No. 4 seed representing District 29-6A. The Bulldogs pulled off an upset of their own last weekend, taking two of three against 30-6A champion La Joya High.
The three-game set will begin at 7 tonight from Rio Grande City’s high school softball field.
“We’re in great shape,” Chavez said. “I trust my teammates so much hitting-wise, defensive-wise. I know we can get the outs and get the runs. If we keep a positive attitude, even if we’re down like we were against Weslaco in Game 3, our team’s unstoppable.”