GEORGETOWN, Texas — The Calallen Wildcats are getting the final practice of the season in Georgetown. They're up against Liberty on Saturday. These two teams know each other. Back in 2021, the 'Cats fell short to Liberty in the title game. But come 2023, the cats are back and this time—looking to make history.
"I believe we have a lot of good girls. If we hit the ball, we could get it done. If we play outstanding defense, we can get it done," Alaunah Almarez, who plays third base, said.
"It's going to come down to a fight and if it comes down to a fight, I'm betting on us," Calallen Head Softball Coach Teresa Lenz said.
Liberty is returning to state for the third straight year.
"I remember they're fast. They put the ball in play. They're a good team," Almarez said.
"They run, run, run. Fast, fast, fast. You can't allow one inning to get away from you which happened to us," Lenz said. "You got to take it one pitch at a time, one inning at a time."
Each Wildcat knows what they have to do. They learned, and now they must execute.
"Stay in front of everything I can. Get some base hits and help out my team and win it," freshman catcher Audyrna Almarez.
This is the third time Lenz has coached the Wildcats to state. She said no luck was involved, just work.
"Our girls worked too hard for you to call them scrappy. They tuck their shirts in all the time, you can't call them scrappy," Lenz said. "They hustle in and out, all the time, you can't call them scrappy. They're disciplined."
Lenz said the Wildcats' first state softball title wouldn't just be for Calallen, but for all of South Texas.
"I don't think we get the respect that we should, and honestly, maybe we don't deserve it until we start doing something about it," Lenz said. "Hopefully we start coming home with some titles."
First pitch between Calallen and Liberty is at 10 a.m. on Saturday.