The Littlefield Lady Cats’ varsity softball team enters the 2023 play-offs as the three seed from District 3-3A.
The Lady Cats finished the regular season with a record of 16-9 overall, 5-3 in district play.
Head Coach Keith Logan is into his third year as the Head Coach and he is assisted by Emily Castillo and Suzanne Perry.
“The great thing about this staff is that we all have a passion for softball,” he said. “When you have that many people who are passionate about the game, it makes it real easy to coach.”
The Lady Cats won their Bi-district match-up last year over Alpine, 14-2, before falling in a series to Bushland 2 games to 0.
The Lady Cats returned a bulk of the roster from a year ago.
The four seniors on this year’s squad are Cadence Sanchez, Kaeleigh Logan,Alex Hernandez and Mykenzie Price.
“Our two captains are two of our seniors, Cadence Sanchez and Kaeleigh Logan. Cadence has been a four-year varsity player for us and has been our go-to pitcher this year and also plays some first base for us. She has good location on her pitches,” he said. “Logan is another four-year varsity player for us. They know how we want things to run and a lot of times we as coaches don’t even have to interject, because Logan and Cadence are already on top of what we need to do. They are both great assets to the team.
He added, “They bring a lot of energy and leadership; sometimes they have to get onto their teammates, and that’s kind of the burden of being the leader. Sometimes you have to be the good and bad guy. They balance it very well, there are times when they have to get on to people, but they are also the first ones to pick somebody up.”
The Lady Cats have two more seniors in Alex Hernandez and Mykenzie Price.
“When Alex first started her freshman year, she had a desired position and it didn’t work out because there wasn’t a spot open, but as she has gotten older and has become an upperclassmen, she has been willing to play anywhere and has played wherever we need her,” the coach said. “She has played some outfield and infield for us, she is just one of those kids who has really bought into our system and is willing to play any spot. She wants to be on the field and has really become a solid asset for us being able to move her around to different spots.”
He added, “Price is another fouryear varsity player for us. She started off in right field for us and struggled a little bit as a freshman. We moved her to left field and then she has been in center field during her senior year and if you hit it to center, it’s an out. It’s one of those things now, where you’re surprised if she doesn’t get to the ball. In my opinion, she is one of, if not the best outfielder in the district. She covers a lot of ground and has a good arm; she has thrown out several people on the bases and at the plate and has really blossomed at that center field position. She knows the game and has been playing a long time.”
The junior class includes Arianna Cruz and Taryn Golden.
“Cruz helps out in the outfield and runs the bases for us; she has also played some second and third base for us,” Coach Logan said. “Golden is another player, who I can put anywhere, but this year she has been holding it down at third base. Last year, she played some left field for us, but she is another kid who has just bought into the system and is willing to play wherever we put her.”
The sophomore class includes Natalia Sanchez, Cali Saldana,Alyssa “Woogie” Torres and Myli Hernandez.
“Natalia started off at shortstop for us last year and this year, but some bumps and bruises happened and we moved her to second and it really sured up our middle infield,” the coach said. “She has embraced that role and she’ll also pitch down the road once we get her fully healthy. She is a big hitter for us, she hits a lot of homeruns; to be a sophomore and already be in that clean-up spot, she does a good job for us. Other teams are starting to realize she can change the game with one swing of the bat. That’s what you want out of your clean-up hitter, is if you get runners on you want her to be able to clear the bases and that’s exactly what she does.”
He added, “Saldana is a player who played early in the season on varsity for us, but through district, she has gotten a lot of her reps on JV. She is a player we’re trying to get ready for next year; we’re trying to build the program and build the culture. She will pitch for us and she can really play anywhere on the field and she runs bases for us, she is one who tells us she will play wherever we need her and that’s all you can ask from a kid. Woogie is another player who has been playing for a long time and just knows the game. Early in the season she played a lot of outfield, she has also played some second base for us in tournaments. She is another player I can use anywhere I need her. Myli has been our right fielder this year is primarily an outfielder for us and has a pretty good bat. We still have some things to work on but she has a really strong arm. She gives everything she has; she doesn’t know how not to go 100%, she gives so much effort and joy and buys into whatever we need her to do.”
Our two freshman are Lyric Rios and Bryndle Ray.
“Rios has really come along for us this year; she plays first base and has played some second base and has also pitched for us this year,” Coach Logan said. “She has a solid bat, but is still a young player and has had some ups and downs at the plate, just like everyone else. When you go from league play and travel ball to playing 16, 17 and 18-year olds, it takes a minute to get acclimated. She is a very coachable kid, she takes constructive critisism well and the sky is the limit for her.”
He added, “Ray has done very well at shortstop for us this year. She has a good arm and a lot of speed; she plays the game a lot and knows the game. This group of young players we have is going to do some great things for us, and I think we’re going to be good for a lot of years.”
Coach Logan talked about his pitching staff, saying, “Cadence has pitched for a long time. As a freshman, we brought her along slow because we did have some other pitchers that allowed her to be the second pitcher in the rotation. We talked earlier in the year and she told me whatever we needed her to do, she would do it. She has really bought into the role and she has worked on pitching with her catcher, Logan and she has also worked with Coach Castillo and Coach Perry throughout the year and throughout the season.”
He added, “She wants to be as perfect as she can be. The game is not perfect, but we’re always striving to be perfect and she works a lot in her free time on everything. She is not necessarily a blow it by you type of pitcher, but she will hit her spots and that is half the battle. She really works at her craft and has done a great job for us. When she is in the circle, it brings out a certain confidence from the rest of her teammates. Rios still has some things to work on, but she is going to be great. She has the body frame, being long, to be a great pitcher. She is only going to get stronger going forward and Natalia has had some bumps and bruises so we haven’ really pushed her. She is only going to get stronger, though, and we will implement her throughout the playoffs. Saldana is also going to be good going forward and will be a pig piece for us in the circle in the future.”
Coach Logan talked about the offense he has seen from his team this year, saying, “We’ve been able to hit the long ball this year and that’s not something we’ve really done in the past. We hit a lot of homeruns last year, and it’s only increased this year and a lot of them have been underclassmen. They’re only going to get stronger moving forward and we’ve also been a little faster on the bases this year, so we’ve been able to push the envelope as far as stealing bases and putting pressure on the defense.”
The Coach stated that his vocal leaders are Cadence and Logan.
“When they talk everybody listens,” he said. “It may not be what you want to hear, but everybody listens when they speak. Cadence is our fourth coach out there on the field, she will stay late to help her teammates with whatever they need. She is a very unselfish player.”
Coach Logan said he feels that their strength this year is that they have a good bond.
“They enjoy each other, just like every team you have that little bit of bickering, but they do a lot of stuff together outside of team organized stuff. I think they truly enjoy each others company and really buy into each other and want everyone to succeed. I feel that shows a lot about what kind of team you have.”
He added, “Some things we have to work on heading into the post-season are mental errors. It’s tough, especially being in the spring where you have kids doing so many different activities and it’s hard to get everybody together. We just need to get reps, we have to get as many reps as we can.”