By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Ina Trejo can recount trying periods in her season now with a smile. That point in time feels like ancient history. The truth of the matter is, it was just a month ago that Mission Veterans was beginning to feel the disappointment in its play, unsure of how the regular season would unravel.
The Lady Patriots entered the year with relatively high expectations. They returned six seniors from a group that won a bi-district title the previous year — the first time the program had accomplished that its 12-year history. But they wrapped up the first half of their District 31-5A schedule with a 3-3 record amid postponements and site relocations.
They lost to Edinburg Vela, Rio Grande City and Sharyland Pioneer — all playoff teams — while struggling to stay toe-to-toe with them at the plate.
“I don’t even like talking about those three games,” Trejo said, smiling.
“No one likes to lose. But those three games were the fuel that we needed to get the ball rolling. I mean, it sucks to lose. But if that’s what it had to take for us to start doing what we were supposed to do, then so be it.”
If ever there was a group at Mission Veterans that was going to be able to withstand challenges, it was this year’s senior squad, led by Trejo and Alysson Moreno.
The catcher- pitcher duo has started since their freshman season, along with four other seniors that also got their start four years ago. That’s the most experience coach Vivian Ray has boasted in her 14 years at the school.
In each of past four years, the Lady Patriots have made the playoffs, running their all-time total to 11, though no season appeared as trying as this one.
Rain hit the Valley hard this year, and no team seemed to be impacted by it more than the Lady Patriots, who played only three of 12 district games at home, including the last six on the road.
“We’ve had rain before, but never like this,” Ray said. “You might have a couple games rescheduled for the next day. But to do the amount of traveling that we did, I’ve never had that happen.
“We’d come in and there’d be two inches of water on the (softball) field. When you go through something like that, you get (players asking) ‘again?’ They’d look at the field, they’d look at the situation, and it was like, ‘Let’s get on the bus and go.’ But I think it helped them get mentally ready for the playoffs.”
Trejo has endured some challenging moments during her four years as catcher, but performing away from home as often as she did this season presented a different set of challenges.
“It puts you down because you’re ready to go, ready to play, but your game is moved to next Tuesday,” Trejo said. “It was tough not playing at home because you don’t have the support you need. It’s hard to get people to come out to your road games. It sucks getting your field drenched like a lake. But that’s part of the game and you have to overcome those setbacks and move forward.”
Moreno and Trejo helped stabilize the team during that time. Moreno, who has been the team’s ace since 2012, remained poised in the circle, rarely showing emotion.
Ray said it was that “sense of peace and calm” that helped keep the team composed at times when “everyone else would (otherwise) get rattled.” Her control and location of the ball was pivotal this year for the Lady Patriots, who were consistently formidable defensively.
Meanwhile, Trejo provided a different type of direction — one that was a bit more boisterous. Ray called her catcher “a little spitfire” and someone who came up big in crucial situations at the plate.
“She knows how to motivate you,” Moreno said. “She’s a great leader. Ever since freshman year, we clicked, as soon as she started catching for me. We’ve always had a good pitcher-catcher bond.”
What changed from the first half of district to the second?
Sensing the team’s season could’ve veered either direction, Moreno said the team became “more hungry.”
“We needed to win,” she said. “There was no option.”
The Lady Patriots rallied to go undefeated through the last six games, all on the road, to finish district 9-3 and secure the No. 2 seed. On Friday, they open a best-of-three series against PSJA High at 7 p.m.
They’ll start away from home, which has helped bond the team the past month. And they do so with just the right amount of momentum to give this group — and particularly the seniors — optimis, heading into the postseason.
“They worked hard to get there,” Ray said. “It’s that desire to win. You know, with some of them, part of (what clicked in) them is finally realizing this is it. This is their last shebang. I didn’t want to harp too much on it, but I asked them: ‘How do you want to go out? It’s your choice.’ And they stepped up.”