Pioneers stage unprecedented title haul

With baseball, softball trophies in the case, Lutheran South in rarefied air

Shortly before the softball season began Lutheran South Academy coach Katy Cave’s biggest concern was adding a kid or two to her roster so the Lady Pioneers would have enough players just to take the field.

This week Cave has a different concern. Designing a state championship ring.

That accomplishment by itself would have been impressive. Adding to the goose bumps was that Lutheran South had never even won a district title before this season. Doing it with 10 players on the roster was nice, too.

“Our goal this year was to win district and advance to the second round (of the playoffs),” Cave said. “Winning everything is icing on the cake.”

Making the championship sweeter is the fact that the softball team was not the only one at Lutheran South to win a state title on Saturday. The baseball team did, too.

It seemed more likely for the baseball team to win. The Pioneers had one of the TAPPS’ best pitching staffs - ending with a team ERA of 1.75 - and plenty of potential on offense. Unlike the softball team, the baseball team had been to the state tournament before, though only once. It had won two district championships but none since 1997.

Playing in a difficult district - which now has produced the last three state champions - prepared the Pioneers for postseason play. After a 10-0 victory over district rival and powerful Fort Bend Christian in the second round, Lutheran South went to the state tournament with all kinds of confidence.

The Pioneers took an early lead against Austin Hyde Park Baptist and never looked back en route to an 8-5 victory in the state title game.

Four players made the all-state tournament team. They were Christian Dick, Evan McDonald, Austin Ochoa and Paul Salazar. Trent Franson, a TCU signee, was hot throughout the playoffs and had three hits in the state title game to give him 50 hits for the season.

The Pioneers played lots of young players three years ago when coach Aaron Schneider took over. Next year they may have to do the same because they lose so many seniors.

That’s fine with Schneider. This year’s group has laid the foundation that could help future Lutheran South teams reach for goals they never have.

“Before (winning state) was something we just talked about,” Schneider said. “For a lot of them it was just a magical word. Now they realize it’s tangible.”

The same will go for the softball team and Cave, who may get a different kind of jump start from the championship.

With only eight players ready to go shortly before the season, Cave emailed all of the girls at the school to invite them to come out for the team.

One of those kids was Samantha Trapani, who had earned all-state honors in tennis at Lutheran South. Trapani ended up playing center field all season and was named to the all-state tournament team.

The team’s leader was junior pitcher Shelby Achille. She had an ERA of 1.40 and hit .539 with six home runs.

“The girls really looked up to her,” Cave said. “She gave them confidence every time she pitched.”

Senior shortstop Tara Everett was pivotal as the leadoff batter. Cave said whenever she got on base the team believed it was going to score. Everett was the only non-freshman on the infield, which made the Lady Pioneers’ feat even more impressive.

Lauren Dick, Haley Lee and Serena Everett earned first team all-district honors for their performances during the regular season.

Lutheran South did well during the regular season and then really took a step forward in the district championship game. They defeated Fort Bend Christian, which had won 117 consecutive district games and eight consecutive district titles.

The Lady Pioneers rode that momentum into the playoffs. They beat Victoria St. Joseph, Corpus Christi John Paul and Corpus Christi Incarnate Word on their way to the title game, where they finished off the state title with a 3-0 triumph over Waco Reicher.

“I knew they could do it,” Cave said. “It was just a matter of peaking at the right time, staying healthy and trying not to run out of gas at the end.”