Howard College softball, baseball teams gearing up for season with first scrimmage
The final weekend of January brought a very unique occurrence for Howard College athletics, one that could only come on the heels of 2020. That occurrence? Both Howard baseball and softball teams will begin their regular seasons — before either Howard hoops team has started their slate of 2021 games. Truly, these are weird times.
The games on Friday marked the first non-scrimmage, officially NJCAA sanctioned contests for Howard since the Covid-19 pandemic forced all Juco athletics to halt last March. Just shy of eleven months later, Howard baseball was in Houston at the annual “Tournament of Champions”, while the Lady Hawks broke in some newlook changes to their friendly confines at Foundation Field.
Both teams enter the 2021 season with expectations running high. Howard baseball, despite being unranked to start the year, has a strong core built up on both offense and in pitching. Names like Justin Wishkosi, a University of New Mexico commit, Josh Bostick and Nic Thibodeau will be tough outs all season long. Defensively, Ethan Coombes and Kris Anglin, a future Texas Tech commit, will likely make a formidable one-two punch on the mound ahead of a deep bullpen. The conference also looks wide open, especially with the absence of New Mexico because of state Covid-19 regulations.
They open the season in Houston with a bevy of tough games. The Hawks get three top-ten ranked opponents in their four games, all crammed into just two-days. Not only were Friday tilts against #7 Grayson, a 17-3 loss, and #10 San Jac CC, a 10-7 victory, scheduled, but so too are Saturday dates with #3 Mclennan before the “easier” finale against unranked Navarro. If one thing is for sure, Coach Mike Lopez will have a very good idea of how the Hawks stack up against the nation's best after this weekend.
For Howard softball it feels like “same story, different year” as the five-defending Region V champs look to pick up where they were forced to leave in 2020. The Lady Hawks were 15-3, ranked ninth in the nation, and led by a group of tremendous sophomores before the season was shuttered. While 2019 Player of the Year Amanda Gonzalez, and many of her sophomore class teammates, have moved on, Howard is still loaded for a run to the National Tournament.
Laela Minnich and Barbora Saviola are back to lead the charge offensively after posting +.400 batting averages before the pause last year. Kirsten Martinez also returns inside the circle, likely taking on the “ace” role for long-time coach Kelly Raines.
The Lady Hawks earned the number eight preseason ranking from the NJCAAS initial poll thanks to a returning/incoming freshman class expected to make an immediate impact as the newest faces of Howard softball. The team is also the second highest ranked squad in Texas, only a few spots off of another perennial power, Tyler JC.
The Lady Hawks opened the season Friday with a pair of offensive displays in sweeping Temple 17-13 and 11-9. Minnich powered the line-up with a grand slam in each game, while Saviola launched three home runs, and freshman Sasha Willems and Abigale Rayos each had round-trippers of their own. The wins have Howard off and running with a 2-0 record ahead of a road trip to Cisco on Tuesday.