By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
At this point last year, Hidalgo had endured heartbreaking losses, sometimes squandering leads in the seventh inning. Coach Chris Olivarez questioned, at times, whether his group could sustain that level of pressure.
One year later, the Lady Pirates (14-5, 6-2) find themselves a more formidable group, winning in late stages of games, and vying for a playoff spot in District 32-4A.
“They’re just more confident now,” said Olivarez, who returned seven starters. “They’re confident at the plate, confident defensively, and that’s contributing a lot to the wins.”
Olivarez pointed to a pair of eighth-inning victories as one of the turning points this season. In 2015, Hidalgo missed on those close opportunities, and it fell short of the playoffs by one game. Now that they’re pulling through, the Lady Pirates are seeking their second postseason berth in three years.
Following a 12-2 loss to Rio Hondo, Hidalgo went through a stretch where it held opponents to four runs or less, a modest turnaround for a team that has emphasized defense this year.
Jasmine Olivarez, the coach’s daughter, has come up big in her third year starting. She worked during the offseason on adding more pitches to her arsenal, and it’s paid off for the Lady Pirates, who stand in second place in 32-4A heading into today.
Chelsea Castilleja has carried the load on both ends. The shortstop is also the team’s leadoff hitter, producing more hits and RBIs than anyone on the roster.
“She makes our offense go,” Chris Olivarez said. “It’s contagious with her because when she hits the ball, the rest of the team follows.”
In the second head-to-head meeting, Hidalgo closed the gap on Rio Hondo, losing 4-3. But in dropping the season series, the Lady Pirates face an uphill battle in trying to supplant Rio Hondo (20-3, 8-0) as the district leader.
“We’re not in the playoffs yet, but we’re close,” Chris Olivarez said. “Obviously, that’s our goal, and I think we’ve done a good job trying to get there.”
SHOWING GROWTH
Mindful of the fact that he is fielding a young team this year, Donna High coach Adrian Lopez is encouraged by its fourth-place standing in District 32-5A.
Returning only four starters this year, the Bravettes (9-9, 4-4) have endured growing pains, at times. But Lopez is hoping his team can pull through in the second half of district, which kicks off today when it travels to Brownsville Pace.
Should Donna sustain its position in the district standings, it would become the first team in program history to qualify for the playoffs.
“It’s like I tell the kids, if we want to get in, we have to treat every game like a playoff game,” Lopez said.
Last year, the Bravettes fell short of making it, tying Edcouch-Elsa for fourth place in 32-5A and losing a play-in game.
With a relatively even mixture of young talent and upperclassmen, Donna has impressed with its defense while gradually coming around with its bats.
“Those are the things that we talk about and try to work on,” Lopez said. “Right now, we’re playing some pretty good defense, and we’re playing a little bit of a small ball. We’re starting to feel a little bit comfortable at the plate, not really swinging at bad pitches.
“We just have to learn what happened last year,” he added, “and make sure we don’t rely on anyone to help us late in the season.”
RANKED
La Joya High is ranked No. 16 in the latest Texas Girls Coaches Association poll for Class 6A.
In Class 5A, PSJA High (No. 23) and Mercedes (No. 24) also made the list. Both are in District 32-5A.