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Langham Creek advances to play Pearland on May 26 in the UIL Region III-6A semifinals after knocking off defending state champ Cypress Ranch. Above is Lobos senior pitcher Connor Ferguson.
The Katy Tigers’ run to the Class 6A softball championship last year was somewhat unexpected.
They were good in the regular season, and then great in the playoffs.
But it’s no surprise the state title returned to the Bayou City — where Dobie was crowned the first state champ in 1993.
The Houston area has claimed five of the last six titles in the UIL’s largest classification.
“It’s the toughest area in Texas,” Kingwood coach Lauren Hendrix said.
“The Houston area is a hotbed for softball. You see a lot of our athletes sign D-I, so even the colleges are recognizing that this is a good place to find softball talent, and it says a lot for our community and the parents that are involved, who allow their kids to play outside of the high schools.”
There’s at least a 50 percent chance the trend continues.
Atascocita and Kingwood collide in a best-ofthree Region II-6A final, and Pearland and Katy clash in the Region III6A championship series, so the Houston area will have two state representatives.
It had a pair of state qualifiers each of the last six years, too.
Growing sport Katy and The Woodlands went last year, Deer Park and The Woodlands two years ago, Kingwood and Deer Park in 2013, Klein Collins and Deer Park in 2012, Pearland and The Woodlands in 2011, and Tomball and Pearland in 2010.
“It’s awesome,” Atascocita coach Ashley Boyd said.
“It says a lot about the area. It’s grown. I grew up in the area, and seeing what softball has done, and how we always have somebody from the Houston area representing in Austin, I think it’s great.”
With state stacked in Houston’s favor, only one outsider emerged victorious the last six years — Lewisville in 2013.
Katy won in 2015, Deer Park in ’14 and ’12, The Woodlands in ’11 and Pearland in ’10.
Ideal matchups Houston wasn’t as dominant the previous decade, with two area teams making state the same year once during that stretch.
And with fewer teams at state, the Houston area won only three titles from 2000 to 2009 (Brazoswood in 2000, Elkins in 2004, Alvin in 2008).
“We’ve been breeding softball talent around this area, and … especially for us right now, in this district that we’re in, we’re playing state championship-type games, game-in and game-out,” Hendrix said.
“(So) when we get to the playoffs, it’s not a shock that the games are intense.”
UIL realignment could tip the scales back toward the Dallas area, which won five titles from 2001 to 2007.
Kingwood and Atascocita, Region II’s top teams, are returning to Region III next year.
“I don’t think it necessarily plays to our advantage,” Hendrix said.
For now, Houston can look forward to sending a set of softball squads to state for the seventh straight season.
Katy and Pearland play Game 1 at 7 p.m. Thursday at Tompkins, Game 2 6 p.m. Friday at Manvel and Game 3, if necessary, 30 minutes after Game 2.
They last meet in 2010 in the regional semis, with Pearland winning 4-2, 6-4.
Kingwood and Atascocita meet in the playoffs for the first time at 7 p.m. Thursday, 7 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday, if necessary — all at the University of Houston in an all-Humble ISD showdown.
“It’s an exciting environment right now around here,” Boyd said. “It’s a great matchup any time we play Kingwood, and that rivalry that’s really built between Atascocita and Kingwood over the past two years is great.
“This is the matchup we all wanted.”