As every sport has reached the playoffs, Frisco ISD has had an opportunity to set new records and softball is no different.
With the new realignment separating FISD into three separate districts, teams have taken full advantage, with a record eight teams qualifying for the postseason.
Unfortunately, six of those teams will met in head-to-head meetings in the bi-district round, but every one involved is carrying high hopes going forward.
Heritage is coming off a historical season in which it won its first district championship and matched its deepest playoff run by advancing to the regional quarterfinals.
Now, the Coyotes are poised to take the program to even greater heights as after winning the 10-5A title, they enter the playoffs as a top seed and will face The Colony in a best-of-3 series starting at 6 p.m. Thursday at The Colony. Game 2 is slated for 6 p.m. Friday at Heritage, with the third game, if necessary, at noon Saturday at Panther Creek.
Heritage (26-1-1) is ranked third in the Texas Girls Coaches Association Class 5A state poll.
The Coyotes feature one of the most dominant pitchers in Texas in senior Jensin Hall. The Dartmouth-commitment is 19-0 with a miniscule 0.26 earned run averge with 10 no-hitters.
Hall is averaging better than two strikeouts per inning, fanning 280 in 109.1 frames compared to only 24 walks, and earlier this month she surpassed 800 strikeouts for her high school career.
Hall is just as formidable at the plate, where she is hitting .535 with two home runs, seven doubles, 45 runs scored and 24 runs batted in.
She is one of several standout hitters in the Coyotes lineup.
Junior Ahna Vanmeter is hitting .477 with five home runs, 11 doubles, four triples, 35 runs and 29 runs batted in. Freshman Sam Riley, who has also been good when called upon to pitch, is batting .443 with seven home runs, 12 doubles, 30 runs and 44 RBIs, and senior Kailey Sweezey has a .347 average with 18 runs and 19 runs batted in.
Heritage will take a 17-game winning streak into the series with The Colony, which has won three of its last four, with the lone setback being a one-run loss to 9-6A champion Wakeland.
The Cougars (12-16-1) have a lineup that could potentially challenge Hall, with five players hitting .370 or better in Sabrina Wick (.540), Sydney Young (.423), Payton Blanco (.413), Betty Jo Camacho (.400) and Kaitlyn Moeller (.370).
The other FISD district champion, Wakeland, will square off with Liberty in a best-of-3 series starting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Independence High School. The second game is slated for 6:30 p.m. Friday at the same site, with the third game, if necessary, at noon Saturday.
The Wolverines have used two different pitchers in senior Kate Piskor and freshman Jordan McNees. Piskor has gotten the call in many of the bigger games, going 11-5 with a 3.31 earned run average and 131 strikeouts in 78.1 innings. McNees has been effective, going 7-0 with a 3.77 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 52 frames.
Senior Riley Langford leads the team with a .478 batting average with 24 runs batted in. Piskor is hitting .462 with 15 doubles and 35 RBIs, sophomore Claire Schriener is batting .455 with four home runs, 28 runs scored and 33 runs batted in and sophomore Kaylee Kinney has a .449 average with 33 runs.
Wakeland has also gotten a boost in the lineup from a pair of freshmen, as Lauren McIllwain has posted a .424 average with four home runs and 18 RBIs in roughly half a season and Allison Pich is hitting .382 with 26 runs scored.
Liberty will try to spring the upset behind a solid lineup that includes Adeline Glatch, Ainslee Palmer, Madison Terry and Delila Bond.
In one of the more intriguing bi-district match-ups, 10-5A runner-up Memorial (16-12-1) squares off with Reedy(21-6) in a best-of-3 series at Emerson High School.
The opener is slated for 7 p.m. Thursday, Game 2 is set for 7 p.m. Friday and the third game, if necessary, at 2 p.m. Saturday.
The Lions are back in the playoffs for the fifth straight season, while this is the third consecutive trip for the Warriors.
Reedy has one of the top pitchers in the area in Makayla Cox, a 20-game winner who has 208 strikeouts and a 1.68 earned run average.
Cox also leads the Lions at the plate, hitting .506 with eight home runs. Megan Lau is batting .483 and is a threat on the base paths with 28 stolen bases.
The Lions have also gotten good production from Caitlyn Warren (.473, 10 2Bs, 2 HRs), Sierra Petersdorf (.444), Audrey Messer (.373, 7 HRs, 3 3Bs), Paige Summers (.368, 3 HRs) and Campbell McKee (.318, 5 2Bs).
Memorial has tried a few different arms on the mound, but Megan Wilson has logged a majority of the innings, averaging nearly a strikeout per inning.
Briana Gomez paces the offense with a .434 batting average, followed by Taylee Chasko at .397. Natalie Gowan is not only hitting .371, but also provides some pop with three home runs, eight triples and five doubles, and Ayden King (.350), Wilson (.329) and Olivia Tefft (.325, 4 HRs) are other key cogs in the lineup.
The Warriors can also create problems with their baserunning, as Gomez has a team-high 20 stolen bases followed by Chasko and Gowan with 19 and 18, respectively.
These two teams met in tournament action very early in the season, with Reedy claiming a 8-1 win back in February.
The other all-FISD bi-district clash features Lone Star (27-6-1), the 9-5A runner-up, taking on third-seeded Lebanon Trail (11-16).
The Rangers return to the playoffs in back-to-back season and for the fifth time in program history, while the Trail Blazers are making history with their first postseason berth.
Audrey Richardson has shouldered much of the pitching load, posting 17 wins, 111 strikeouts and a 2.59 earned run average, but Kaylee Smith has also been effective, with eight victories on the season.
Kirstyn Jones leads the regulars with a .506 batting average with three home runs, 15 doubles, three triples, 38 runs and 30 runs batted in, while Emma Zaboronek is hitting .464 with six home runs, 45 runs and 32 RBIs.
Richardson is also among the team leaders at the plate with a .407 average, three home runs, 10 doubles and 25 runs batted in, while other players to watch include Brooke Wooten (.391, 6 HRs, 46 runs, 30 RBIs), Bri Stokes (.379, 35 runs), Kaylee Smith (.359, 3 HRs, 27 RBIs) and Serenity Smith (.355, 4 HRs, 28 runs, 28 RBIs).
And though she has not played a full slate of games, Emilee Prochaska has been extremely productive, with a .545 batting average.
In a winner-takes-all one-game affair, Lebanon Trail is likely to turn to Parker Rodgers on the mound, as she leads the team with 10 wins and 88 strikeouts in 119 innings.
Rodgers also leads the team in hitting with a .446 batting average, two home runs, 11 doubles and 20 runs batted in. Freshman Kendall Drewry is made an immediate impact, hitting .433 with four home runs, four triples, 30 runs and 24 RBIs.
Lebanon Trail also leans on Valentina Quinones (.311, 16 runs), Avery Roos (.308, 11 runs) and Ava Klosowski (.304, 17 runs, 17 RBIs) as it tries to pull the upset and claim its first playoff win.
Competing in its inaugural varsity campaign, Panther Creek made history by making its first playoff appearance.
The Panthers face Pinkston in the 4A bi-district round at 6 p.m. Thursday at Carrollton Creekview High School.
Alexis Taylor has led the way on the mound and at the plate for Panther Creek.
The Panthers have also gotten good offensive production from Avery Cannon, Aubrey Vongdachan, Lana Narvaez and Hannah Huggins.
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