BY TJ GARCIA | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
EDINBURG — At 5-foot-3 and 120 pounds, the petite Jaqueline Longoria is hardly intimidating. To be sure, she wouldn’t be mistaken for a threat by anyone on the street. But that’s not where Longoria is most dangerous.
Put her on the softball field, and the Edinburg North junior becomes a single-minded softball savant. The right-handed pitcher is 26-6 on year, including 6-1 in the playoffs, and batting .546 for the season — hitting safely in all 38 games.
“She does all the extra stuff to make herself better, but the bottom line with her it’s just all hustle,” Edinburg North coach Richard Tressler said. “When she puts the ball into play, you are going to have to work to get her out. Because if you bobble the ball, if you hesitate, I promise you she’s going to get on base.”
And that’s exactly what Longoria has done all season. Edinburg North will look to her again tonight as the Lady Cougars begin a best-of-three Class 6A regional semifinal series versus New Braunfels Canyon at Laredo’s Zachry Softball Complex at 7:30 p.m.
Longoria stands in large contrast to Canyon’s 6-foot power pitcher Brooke Vestal. But what they have in common is dominant records and the ability to lead and get wins. Longoria is not an overpowering strikeout artist (although she sat down 151 batters this year), but she carries a microscopic 1.62 ERA and has eight shutouts.
She induces lots of ground balls and quick infield outs. However, Longoria said despite her lofty numbers, she did not enter the season expecting to be in the circle all that much.
“But Coach has put his trust in me and I’ve put my trust in all the girls to back me up and that’s helped a lot,” Longoria said. “My defense has helped me so much. Sometimes I miss my spot (on the pitch), but my defense is always there making incredible plays — sometimes they make the perfect play.”
Good defense was Edinburg North’s calling card all year long, and defense has been especially acute in the playoffs.
The defense’s “perfect play” came off a two-out double Longoria gave up in the top of the seventh inning of Game 2 in last weekend’s regional quarterfinal series against PSJA Memorial. Centerfielder Klari Lopez bailed Longoria out by starting a relay that eventually threw out the tying run at home for that last out and the series win.
When Longoria steps off the mound and up to the plate, it’s all about preparation. She’s played softball since the age of six, when her father got her started. Longoria knows exactly where to stand, what to look for and where she wants the ball to go if she can get the bat on the ball.
While batting leadoff, Longoria hammered 65 hits in 119 at bats, drove in 39 runs, drew eight walks and struck out just five times. Her .546 average leads the team. Her warm-up routine, focus and prayer get her ready for each game and every at-bat. She also listens to music to get zoned in.
“Sometimes I listen to Christian music because it really helps and calms me down,” said Longoria, who added her walk-up song is “He knows my name” by Francesca Battistelli.
At the plate or in the circle, Longoria belies her small size and manages to produce big-time results. People now know Longoria by name, that’s for sure.