CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Calallen Lady Cats (32-2) are going to back to the UIL 4A State Semifinal in Austin, and they were sent off in style. A very memorable season, and the job is not done yet.
"It feels good. Last year was really fun, especially winning it," Calallen senior outfielder Rilyn Gamez said. "This year I'm really excited to go back and play my last week of softball in Austin."
Only one other Coastal Bend softball program has made it to the State Tournament in consecutive seasons, Santa Gertrudis Academy. Calallen reached that achievement, but it was a close call in the Regional Finals. Sophomore Kayden Trevino's walk-off homer kept the season alive for the five seniors.
"I thought that was my last at-bat, and then I saw the ball and I was like just staring at it,"Calallen senior center fielder Mia Flores said. "That was my, I don't know. You don't have any thoughts when those things happen."
All of these girls have their own unique journeys, but they've been able to come together. For senior Rilyn Gamez it was filling a small role freshman year.
"Just on JV and I would come run for Varsity every once in a while, but I put a lot of trust in coach (Teresa Lentz) and that's where I'm at today," Gamez said.
Calallen is two wins away from becoming the first Coastal Bend softball program to defend their title. Junior Brookelynn Meador was on the team last year, but an ACL injury kept her sidelined so this opportunity is special.
"It feels great," Meador, a catcher for Calallen, said. "It means a lot to me knowing that I have helped contribute to this and knowing that I could step back into it and help my team."
This season the Lady Cats have won 32 games and lost only 2. Community support has been a game changer.
"I love that they're so loud and they cheer all of us on," Flores said.
"I just want to thank y'all so much for being so amazing and always being at our games," Meador said.
"They're really good because they're loud and better than everyone else's fans," Gamez said.
The Lady Cats will play Sanger (37-7) at 4 p.m. on Thursday at the University of Texas at Austin.
Fans, family and alumni unable to attend can watch the UIL Softball State Championships live online with a subscription at www.nfhsnetwork.com/associations/uil. Subscribers can also watch on the go or at home through the NFHS Network mobile app available through iTunes or the Google Play Store, and TV app available on Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV.
