Five numbers worth noting in softball
Five local teams have reached the fifth round of the University Interscholastic League’s softball playoffs. Let’s open this column with five notable numbers tied to the Austin area’s regional finalists.
6: A half-dozen of the seven players who have appeared in each of Lake Travis’ 33 softball games this season — seniors Zoe Bacon, Jordan Goulart and Alyssa Dickens and sophomores Aspen Howie, Brycen Blinco and Allie Dalle — are hitting at least .340.
2: The freshmen, left fielder Maya Benologa and third baseman Daryn Haslam, who combined to drive in five of the nine runs that Vista Ridge scored last week in a regional semifinal series against Corpus Christi Moody. Vista Ridge also starts four seniors, two juniors and two sophomores.
3: Total players — infielder Kallen Floyd, pitcher Samantha Junkin and catcher Payton Walker — remaining from Liberty Hill’s 2012 Class 3A semifinalist. Floyd and Junkin appeared in that 3-0 loss to Henderson.
.505: Batting average of La Grange junior shortstop BlakeAnn Fritsch entering this week. The Texas A&M commitment will be in College Station for La Grange’s fifth-round series against Huffman Hargrave that opened Wednesday. La Grange second baseman Briana Angel has pledged to Texas, and she will get to play at her future home next week if the Lady Leps advance.
5: Florence has won five elimination games during this postseason. The Lady Buffs have been the victor in two deciding Game 3s and a pair one-game series.
Riveting rivalry: Lago Vista and Georgetown Gateway won’t meet again on a baseball diamond this spring, but keep an eye on the battles between these District 25-3A schools in 2016. The Vikings and Gators played five times in 2015, and four of those games were decided by two runs or fewer. The anomaly was Gateway’s 6-1 victory May 21, and that game was tied until the sixth inning. Lago Vista took three victories in the season series, and a walk-off win Saturday gave the Vikings the edge in a best-of-three regional quarterfinal series. Under first-year coach Brandon Grant, Lago Vista reached the postseason’s fourth round for the first time since 1992.
Under the radar: Each week, we’ll introduce you to a player who is making big plays despite not having a big name. This week, we’re taking a look at Lake Travis senior pitcher Tate Gillespie.
Gillespie entered the third round of the postseason with nine pitching appearances to his credit. Lake Travis then twice handed the baseball to the right-handed Navarro College recruit during a three-game series against The Woodlands College Park.
In the series opener May 20, Gillespie closed a 5-0 win by retiring six of the seven batters he faced. In Lake Travis’ decisive 6-3 victory May 23, Gillespie pitched a complete game in his third start of the season.
Where are they now? Every week, we will spotlight the collegiate accomplishments of a few of our area alums. If you know of someone who should be featured in this segment, drop me an email at danieldavis@ statesman.com.
McNeese State junior outfielder Lewis Guilbeau (Westlake, 2012) appeared in 52 games this spring, batting .308 with 26 runs and 20 RBIs.
Johns Hopkins freshman Brandon Fielder (Austin High, 2014) won the 800 meters at the Goucher Invitational on April 4.