By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — When Andreah Ruiz rolled her ankle during Edinburg North’s season opener in February, coach Richard Tressler couldn’t fathom it would be a precursor to the rash of the injuries his team would endure this year.
Within a week, Vanessa Garces succumbed to a torn ACL, and gradually players missed time from everything from blown knees and aching backs to shoulder injuries and leg problems.
“I’ve never had this kind of unluckiness with injuries,” said Tressler, who is in his 20th season coaching.
Three weeks into the playoffs, the string of misfortune is viewed as something of an omen for Edinburg North — the type of circumstances that forced the team to tinker with lineups, test its versatility and find the right combination of players in the right spots.
“We had to switch players everywhere. It was bad,” Klarissa Lopez said. “But we overcame that, and now we’re stronger because of it.”
With Garza going down, Ayissa Maldonado filled her role at shortstop. Maldonado never expected such a move after dividing her time between pitcher and second base. But it was one in a series of adjustments Edinburg North was forced to make to remain competitive.
Jessica Diaz, a freshman, temporarily filled in at second base before senior Brianna Salinas assumed the position the rest of the year. They also tinkered with Carolina Garcia, a first-year varsity player, at left field, and freshman Hope Rodriguez at third.
And with Ruiz missing 13 games as a result of her ankle injury, Maria Garza spotted her at first through most of the non-district slate, when Edinburg North went 14-5.
“At first, we were bummed,” Abby Hinojosa, a catcher, said, “but we had to pick ourselves up. District hadn’t even started, and we had huge, huge obstacles in front of us.”
Since March 8, the Lady Cougars are 15-2, having lost one district game and the opening match in the area round, before rallying to beat McAllen Rowe in three. As the Lady Cougars gear up for the regional quarterfinals, they find themselves as one of four upper-Valley teams still alive in the playoffs — an oddity considering all come from the same district in 31-6A.
At 7 p.m. tonight, they take on PSJA Memorial, which, like Edinburg North, has faced long odds to arrive to the third round, having beaten 2015 state semifinalist San Benito in bi-district.
Edinburg North’s challenges came after graduating players in key positions — third base, center field — and then having to fill them again following injuries.
Initially, Tressler questioned the durability of some of his players in their newfound positions. Soon enough, however, the Lady Cougars emerged as district champions for a second year in a row, including this season’s title outright after going 11-1.
“It was just a matter of different people stepping up,” Maldonado said. “I feel like we got to discover strengths we didn’t know we had before (as a result of the injuries). It helped us shift players around, and find out that we had more talent than we thought we did.”
Maldonado flourished under the circumstances, going 5-1 as a pitcher. Her time in the circle was a welcome addition for Jackie Longoria, who went 24-6 while posting a 1.75 ERA and eight shutouts.
Maldonado overcame some setbacks herself — mostly lower-back pains — to record three shutouts, including a no-hitter, while juggling other duties on the field.
“They just sucked it up and did a great job,” Tressler said. “I’m proud of what they’ve done and what we’ve been able to do in spite of some of the roadblocks that we’ve had.
“Our expectations are always high. I don’t ever want to settle for anything less. It doesn’t happen every year, but you still have to set your bar high. Otherwise, what’s the point? The girls know that, and they’ve risen to the occasion.”