By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — When Sharyland Pioneer students arrived for the start of the fall semester, a variety of things were either missing or incomplete on campus.
The football field was still taking shape. The gymnasium wasn’t yet ready. And the softball field was nothing more than a flat surface covered in dirt.
“It was kind of hard. We’re starting from the beginning,” sophomore pitcher Mariah Youngblood said. “But we’re getting there.”
Youngblood was a freshman last year when she played at Sharyland High. And like a chunk of her teammates, she was zoned into sister school Pioneer. They’re coming together now to help build the program from the ground up, along with coach Orlando Garcia, an assistant last year at Sharyland, and his lead assistant Amanda Baker.
The process has been challenging. The Lady Diamondbacks’ jerseys were backordered. The dugouts won’t be poured in until today. And the batting cages aren’t expected to arrive until Monday.
“It’s like I told the girls and the parents, I’m not going to make any excuses,” Garcia said. “We’re going to bring everyone up to speed.”
Expectations are high for the Lady Diamondbacks, even after an 0-3 start. Garcia entered his team in the Mission Fastpitch Festival, where they lost both games Friday, and they’re traveling to a tournament in Laredo next week.
The rigorous schedule is meant to test his players. At the same time, he’s trying to get a look at the 17 players on his roster. Sure, he coached some of them at Sharyland last year, but the challenge comes in blending that group with some new talent, such as the two freshmen he touted as starters.
Players like Youngblood, who also played third base last season, and Emily Michki, a utility player, have helped ease that process.
Young, who pitched sparingly last season, inherits an enhanced role after improving her “mental game,” Garcia said. And Michki, who plays baseball year-round, takes on the role as “field general.” Her knack for hitting the ball, coupled with her discipline, makes her indispensable for the young Lady Diamondbacks.
Together, they picked up varsity experience at Sharyland. And now as sophomores, they’re being counted on to shoulder some of the leadership load.
“To be in the position that are in now (considering the circumstances), I could say that we’re doing pretty good,” Michki said. “It feels new. We have a new bond. It’s the same, but it’s different. It’s weird, but it’s good. This is a good change.”
At first, Michki said she wasn’t sure what to expect. Pioneer was practicing on the football and soccer fields until the softball field was completed in December. But the camaraderie they established during that time has helped strengthen them.
“Having this group helps. It makes my job easier,” Garcia said. “My job is to keep them together as a family and to make sure we have a cohesive group. These girls are hungry, and I’m looking forward to see what they could do, not only this year but the next couple of years.”