Around the bases: baseball and softball district preview
By Michael Brooks
Sports Writer
District realignment will change the level of competition in every school sport. You could go from a district where the first two teams fight over the district title, while all the other teams fight for the final playoff spots to a district where six teams are good enough to be serious playoff contenders. After the most recent realignment, Edna and Industrial are the only team that remain from last year’s district.
Of the eight teams in the new baseball district, six made the playoffs last year, including Columbus, who dropped down from 4A. In softball, five of the eight district teams made the playoffs last year. The new softball district also has two teams who lost in the regional semi-final round.
Last season the Cobra girls lost to perennial powerhouse Hallettsville in the regional playoff round. The Cobras lost most of their team to graduation. Eight of their nine starters graduated, and the one remaining starter won’t be able to play this season.
“I lost all my starters,” Cobra head coach Ted Malek said. “I had eight graduate, and Jade (Beck, third baseman) is hurt and won’t be able to play this season, but it is what it is. But we are going to be alright. We have a good freshman group coming up and a good sophomore group. Right now, I only have 16 total player, and only three juniors.
“It’s gonna be a really tough district. We will be really young, but we will work hard. We will be aggressive like we always are. We will work hard and get after it. We are just going to take it one game at a time and try to get better every day.”
The Cobras first scrimmage is at home against Tidehaven on January 29. Their first game is February 12.
Schulenburg was one of the softball teams that lost in the regional semifinals last season, and they look to be a tough opponent as they have six starters returning.
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