All-Valley Softball Glance
ALL-VALLEY CAPSULES
MVP
AMBER JASSO
School: San Benito
Position: P
Grade: Freshman
Stats: Went 33-5 pitching with 255 Ks to just 39 walks in 212 innings, 180 of those shutout innings. She allowed just 60 runs in 38 starts. As San Benito’s leadoff batter, Jasso batted. .330 with a .492 on base percentage. She scored 55 total runs and stole 28 bases.
Notable: 32-5A Freshman of the Year, guided Lady ‘Hounds to 5A regional finals (Elite 8) the first Valley team to do so.
One thing people don’t know about you: "I like action movies like the movie Fast Five. I like the cars and the action."
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
KRISTA LEAL
School: Harlingen
Position: C
Grade: Junior
Stats: Batted .621 for the year with 29 hits and 7 home runs. She had 29 RBIs and was walked 18 times (14 intentional) despite missing several games to injuries. Was the heart and soul of the Lady Cards and is one of the Valley’s most feared hitters.
Notable: District 31-5A Offensive Player of the Year
One thing people don’t know about you: "One thing people don’t know about me is I used to take for granted all the little moments had with family members. Especially my grandparents. All the I love yous and fishing trips, I took for granted. I only have one grandma left, so I make every day count with her. I make her laugh and smile every day no matter how’s she feeling because I want to hold on to that moment." "Also, my travel team number is 27 because that was the bus number that my grandpa used to drive."
PITCHER OF THE YEAR
CHELSIE ALEJANDRO
School: Harlingen South
Position: P
Grade: Senior
Stats: Went 21-11 for the season as the Lady Hawks’ workhorse. Alejandro notched 166 strikeouts and allowed just 113 hits and 68 runs to the 764 batters she faced. Pitched 182 innings, the equivalent of 26 games. Guided South the regional quarterfinals for the second straight season.
Notable: District 31-5A Most Valuable Player
One thing people don’t know about you: "I like to go to the beach. I like to go tan or just take walks on the beach."
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
ZABANNAH SANCHEZ
School: McHi
Position: P
Grade: Freshman
Stats: Sanchez started 30 games in center circle and her strikeout/walk ratio was 137/32 in 172 innings. She had a 3.37 ERA and averaged over 5 Ks per game. She had 4 shutouts, 4 one-hitters and even notched 4 saves. At the plate, Sanchez batted .523 with a .738 slugging percentage and 14 doubles (school record), 4 triples, 1 HR, and 21 RBIs.
Notable: District 30-5A Newcomer of the Year
One thing people don’t know about you: "My favorite place to eat is Khan’s Grill. I love to go there with my teammates and I won’t go with anyone else."
COACH OF THE YEAR
ELIAS MARTINEZ
School: San Benito
13th season
Notable: The veteran coach led the Lady ’Hounds to the Elite 8, the first time a Valley club advanced five rounds in the playoffs. San Benito unseated three-time defending 32-5A champ Brownsville Porter and ousted Harlingen, Eagle Pass Winn, Edinburg North and San Antonio Southwest in the playoffs. San Benito’s 33 wins were a school record.
FIRST TEAM
SAMANTHA ARCIBA
School: Edinburg
Position: P
Grade: Sophomore
Stats: Went 17-4 on the mound (3 losses to S.A. O’Connor and 1 to C.C. Moody). Worked 124 innings and allowed 59 runs (52 earned), 111 hits. She struck out 76 and walked 39. She had a 2.93 ERA.
Notable: First team District 31-5A pitcher
ANALISA BADILLO
School: Edinburg North
Position: P
Grade: Senior
Stats: Won 24 games for the Cougars, 18 of them complete, with 5 shutouts. Boasted a 2.48 ERA and allowed just 127 runs (73 earned) and struck out 169 compared to just 84 walks in 205 innings.
Notable: First team District 31-5A pitcher
STEPHANIE FLORES
School: Mercedes
Position: P
Grade: Junior
Stats: Went 11-4 for Mercedes with 148 Ks and a 1.18 ERA in her first season after a major knee injury. Flores tossed two no-hitters, one of those a perfect game. Opponents batted just .179 against her.
Notable: District 32-4A Defensive Player of the Year
VICTORIA CARDENAS
School: Edinburg North
Position: C
Grade: Senior
Stats: Batted a team-best .420 with a whopping 51 RBIs in 38 games. Cardenas smashed 5 home runs as part of 47 hits, 9 of those were extra-base hits.
Notable: First-team District 31-5A catcher
RENEE CHAVEZ
School: Lyford
Position: 1B
Grade: Junior
Stats: Chavez hit .514 with a monster .729 slugging percentage. She led Lyford with 25 RBIs and hit two home runs in addition to being one the Valley’s top defensive first-basemen.
Notable: First-team District 31-3A first baseman
ADRIANA ‘SQUIRT’ FLORES
School: San Benito
Position: 2B
Grade: Junior
Stats: Led San Benito with a .549 batting average and totaled 67 hits (22 extra base-hits). Flores scored a team-high 60 runs and drove in winning run to send San Benito to Elite 8.
Notable: District 32-5A Co-Most Valuable Player
TORIE DELEON
School: Edinburg
Position: 3B
Grade: Senior
Stats: DeLeon batted .438, hit 27 times and scored 21 runs for the Lady Bobcats’ second-straight Sweet 16 team. Also drove in 22 runs for Edinburg.
Notable: First-team District 31-5A third baseman
AMANDA GARZA
School: San Benito
Position: SS
Grade: Senior
Stats: Hit .481 with a .690 on-base percentage thanks to 43 hits (19 extra-base hits, 4 home runs). Garza scored 41 runs on the season and was a four-year starter at short for San Benito.
Notable: District 32-5A Co-Most Valuable Player
KIM MARTINEZ
School: McHi
Position: OF
Grade: Junior
Stats: Defensively, one of the area’s best. Recorded 16 diving catches (school record) and threw out 9 runners at home plate while playing all three positions for McHi. She also hit .371 with 36 hits, most of them bunt singles.
Notable: First-team District 30-5A outfielder
ANGELA JOHNSON
School: Weslaco
Position: OF
Grade: Sophomore
Stats: Johnson hit .430 and had 20 RBIs for the Pantherettes while playing center field. Johnson also hit 4 home runs with 10 extra-base hits and scored 32 runs as one of Weslaco’s key figures.
Notable: First-team District 32-5A outfielder
LEANN HINOJOSA
School: Edinburg
Position: OF
Grade: Senior
Stats: Versatile player hit .473 hit 26 times (10 extra-base hits) and scored 25 runs. Was tremendous in the outfield and and also saw time pitching for Edinburg’s Sweet 16 team.
Notable: District 31-5A Utility Player of the Year
DRU MARMOLEJO
School: Sharyland
Position: Utility
Grade: Senior
Stats: Saw action at pitcher, shortstop and second base for the Lady Rattlers and excelled at all three. Marmolejo went 14-9 pitching with 85 Ks and a 0.85 ERA. Also batted .352 with 34 hits (12 extra-base hits) scored 34 runs and 2 HRs.
Notable: District 30-5A Most Valuable Player
FAITH ESCOBAR
School: Edcouch-Elsa
Position: DH
Grade: Senior
Stats: Hit .398 with a .455 OBP and .643 slugging percentage for 32-4A champ E-E. Escobar led the Lady ‘Jackets in hits (39), RBIs (33), doubles (11), home runs (3) and also scored 25 times.
Notable: District 32-4A Co-Offensive Most Valuable Player
SECOND TEAM
Pitcher: Myranda Hinojosa, Edinburg; Lauren Garza, McAllen Rowe; Katrina Zamorano, Lyford
Catcher: Alisa Navarro, La Joya; Courtney Taylor, Los Fresnos; Karen Lozano, Valley View
First base: Kassandra Sanchez, San Benito; Alyssa Smith, McHi; Brittany Davila, Edinburg
Second base: Cristina Sendejo, McHi; Anissa Gonzalez, Edinburg
Third base: Shelby Peters, McAllen Rowe; Ileah Ortiz, Los Fresnos
Shortstop: Clare Garcia, Edinburg North
Outfielders: Yesi Penablanca, San Benito; Drucilla Lopez, Edcouch-Elsa; Mikayla Johnson, La Feria
Utility: Sabrina Ramos, Edcouch-Elsa; Cynthia Granado, Edinburg North
Designated hitter: Jewels Ortiz, Harlingen South; Iraida Garcia, Rio Hondo
Valley softball glance
Final standings
District 30-5A
Overall District
W L W L GB
y-Sharyland 19 9 12 2 —
y-McHi 23 8 12 2 —
x-McRowe 18 13 9 5 3
xz-Mission 11 16 7 7 5
La Joya 17 14 7 7 5
Donna 9 18 5 9 8
Palmview 8 21 3 11 10
MMemorial 6 23 1 13 11
District 31-5A
Overall District
W L W L GB
y-Edinburg 31 6 13 1 —
x-EdNorth 29 9 12 2 1
x-HarSouth 22 12 10 4 3
x-Harlingen 20 12 8 6 5
PSJANorth 10 18 5 9 8
PSJA 9 16 5 9 8
PSJA Mem. 8 21 3 11 10
Ecnomedes 7 20 0 14 13
District 32-5A
Overall District
W L W L GB
y-SanBenito 34 5 13 1 —
x-LFresnos 25 8 12 2 1
x-Weslaco 19 11 10 4 3
x-Bro.Hanna16 16 8 6 5
Bro. Porter 16 15 5 9 8
Bro. Lopez 14 16 4 10 10
Bro. Pace 11 17 3 11 11
Bro. Rivera 4 23 1 13 12
District 32-4A
Overall District
W L W L GB
y-E-E 24 4 17 1 —
x-Mercedes 22 7 16 2 1
x-Wes.East 18 10 13 5 4
x-RGC 18 11 12 6 5
Roma 15 12 10 8 7
ValleyView 11 16 7 11 10
MissionVets 8 14 7 11 10
Bro. Vets 5 17 5 13 12
Hidalgo 2 24 2 16 15
Juarez-Linc 4 23 1 17 16
District 31-3A
Overall District
W L W L GB
y-Robstown 18 5 10 0 —
x-Lyford 13 11 7 3 3
x-WestOso 11 13 6 4 4
OGrove 10 16 4 6 5
CCMiller 7 16 2 8 9
Ray’ville 2 19 1 9 9
District 32-3A
Overall District
W L W L GB
y-Zapata 15 8 9 1 —
x-PortIsabel 11 15 7 3 2
x-Rio Hondo 14 14 6 4 3
La Feria 15 9 6 4 3
Grulla 4 16 2 8 7
IDEADonna 0 10 0 10 9
District 32-2A
Overall District
W L W L GB
y-KAcdemy 23 2 10 0 —
x-Heb’ville 13 4 7 3 3
x-Riviera 11 5 6 4 4
Santa Rosa 7 11 3 7 7
Falfurrias 5 9 3 7 7
Quest 0 12 0 10 10
Premont 0 0 0 0 0
District 32-1A
Overall District
W L W L GB
y-La Villa 15 4 8 2 —
y-PAransas 6 2 8 2 —
y-Benavides 6 2 8 2 —
Ben Bolt 0 0 5 5 0
Bruni 0 0 3 7 0
CCAcademy 0 0 0 10 0
Others
Lasara 5 5
x-clinched playoff spot
y-clinched district title; share of title
z- won tiebreaker playoff
Final Top 10
1. San Benito (34-5)
2. Edinburg (31-6)
3. Edinburg North (29-9)
4. Harlingen South (22-12)
5. McHi (23-8)
6. Sharyland (19-9)
7. Edcouch-Elsa (24-4)
8. Lyford (13-11)
9. Los Fresnos (25-8)
10. Weslaco (19-11)
Valley playoff schedule
CLASS 5A
District 30-5A
Fourth-place tiebreaker
MONDAY’S GAME
Mission 9, La Joya 7
Bi-district
One-game playoff
Friday, April 29
Harlingen South 13, Los Fresnos 2, 6 innings, South advances
Saturday, April 30
Eagle Pass 8, Mission 0, Eagle Pass advances
Best-of-three
SAN BENITO (27-3) vs. HARLINGEN (20-10)
San Benito 12, Harlingen 6
San Benito 9, Harlingen 8, (San Benito wins series 2-0)
EDINBURG (25-3) vs. BROWNSVILLE HANNA (16-14)
Edinburg 10, Brownsville Hanna 0, 5 innings
Edinburg 7, Brownsville Hanna 0, (Edinburg wins series 2-0)
EDINBURG NORTH (25-6) vs. WESLACO (19-9)
Edinburg North 6, Weslaco 5, 8 innings
Edinburg North 6, Weslaco 5, (North wins series 2-0)
SHARYLAND (19-9) vs. LAREDO UNITED (17-13)
Laredo United 10, Sharyland 0, 6 innings
Sharyland 8, Laredo United 2
Sharyland 7, Laredo United 6, (Shary wins series 2-1)
McALLEN HIGH (20-6) vs. LAREDO UNITED SOUTH (17-9)
McHi 12, Laredo United South 4
McHi 10, Laredo United South 5, (McHi wins series 2-0)
McALLEN ROWE (18-11) vs. EAGLE PASS WINN (18-9)
McAllen Rowe 5, Eagle Pass Winn 2
Eagle Pass Winn 6, McAllen Rowe 5
Eagle Pass Winn 1, McAllen Rowe 0, 13 innings (Winn wins series 2-1)
CLASS 4A
Bi-district
One-game playoff
Friday, April 29
Corpus Christi Moody 10, Rio Grande City 0, 5 innings, Moody advances
Tuloso-Midway 11, Weslaco East 0, 5 innings, T-M advances
Best-of-three
EDCOUCH-ELSA (24-2) vs. KINGSVILLE (13-12)
Kingsville 8, Edcouch-Elsa 2
Kingsville 8, Edcouch-Elsa 6, (Kingsville wins series 2-0)
MERCEDES (21-5) vs. ALICE (13-11)
Alice 16, Mercedes 2, 5 innings
Mercedes 1, Alice 0
Alice 4, Mercedes 0, (Alice wins series 2-1)
CLASS 3A
Bi-district
One-game playoff
West Oso 5, Port Isabel 0, West Oso advances
Best-of-three
LYFORD (11-10) vs. RIO HONDO (14-12)
Lyford 12, Rio Hondo 10
Lyford 6, Rio Hondo 3, (Lyford wins series 2-0)
Byes: Zapata, Robstown
CLASS 1A
Bi-district
One-game playoff
Woodsboro 5, La Villa 3, Woodsboro advances
CLASS 5A
Area round
One-game playoff
Friday, May 6
San Benito 17, Eagle Pass Winn 0, 5 innings, SB advances
Best-of-three
EDINBURG (27-3) vs. McHI (22-6)
Edinburg 9, McHi 4,
McHi 10, Edinburg 5
Edinburg 6, McHi 0 (Edinburg wins series 2-1)
SHARYLAND (21-10) vs. EDINBURG NORTH (27-6)
Sharyland 3, Edinburg North 1
Edinburg North 7, Sharyland 5
Edinburg North 4, Sharyland 2 (Edinburg North wins series 2-1)
HARLINGEN SOUTH (20-10) vs. EAGLE PASS (26-3)
Harlingen South 12, Eagle Pass 2, 6 innings
Harlingen South 8, Eagle Pass 4, (South wins series 2-0)
CLASS 3A
Area round
One-game playoff
Ingleside 14, Lyford 4, 5 innings, Ingleside advances
CLASS 5A
REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS
Best-of-three
SAN BENITO (30-3) vs. EDINBURG NORTH (29-7)
San Benito 3, Edinburg North 2
San Benito 9, Edinburg North 4 (San Benito wins series 2-0)
HARLINGEN SOUTH (22-10) vs. EDINBURG (29-4)
Edinburg 7, Harlingen South 4
Edinburg 6, Harlingen South 2 (Edinburg wins series 2-0)
CLASS 5A
REGIONAL SEMIFINALS
Best-of-three
SAN BENITO (32-3) vs. SAN ANTONIO SOUTHWEST (33-8)
San Benito 3, San Antonio Southwest 2
San Benito 1, San Antonio Southwest 0 (San Benito wins series 2-0)
EDINBURG (31-4) vs. SAN ANTONIO O'CONNOR (29-4)
San Antonio O’Connor 7, Edinburg 4
San Antonio O’Connor 6, Edinburg 1 (O’Connor wins series 2-0)
CLASS 5A
REGIONAL FINALS
SAN BENITO (34-3) vs. SAN ANTONIO O'CONNOR (31-4)
San Antonio O’Connor 16, San Benito 2, 5 innings
San Antonio O’Conner 16, San Benito 0, 5 innings (O’Connor wins series 2-0)
