KINGSVILLE, Texas — The roar of the crowd, the feeling of all the hardwork paying off; so many different thoughts come to mind when Santa Gertrudis Academy senior softball players Carissa De Los Santos and Jaquelin Garza think about their state championship in 2018.
For the two seniors, they were hoping to relive that feeling all over again in 2020.
The Lady Lions were off to one of their hottest starts in program history, until COVID-19 ended their season.
"It was definitely a heartbreak for us last season," said coach Thomas De Los Santos. "We started the season 24-0 and were really looking forward to making another run at the state tournament."
Coach De Los Santos knew it was all out of his control. The only thing to do was to focus on 2021 and earn a state title then.
"We didn't get the chance to prove ourselves," said Carissa De Los Santos. "This year we've all been working."
The Lady Lions are picking up where they left off last season. The team is ranked No.1 in the 3A preseason softball polls.
The expectations are high for the team this season, but it comes with the territory of playing softball for that storied program.
"We all know what's expected from us and it's tradition here," added Carissa. "We are going to try hard as we can to keep this going and keep our record up."
They have their sites set on one thing only.
"To go back and win another ring like we did freshman year," said senior Jaquelin Garza.
There season starts this week with scrimmages. The road to another state title officially begins.
