Final three Valley softball teams are set for Sweet 16

It’s never been done before. But three Valley softball teams are going to try their hardest to remove that statement from the books.

Harlingen South, Edinburg and Lyford each start a best-of-three regional semifinal series tonight in hopes of becoming the first area club to advance to a regional final.

In Class 5A, the Lady Hawks (23-9) take on Austin Bowie, a team that’s not only ranked eighth in the state, but one that’s becoming a sort of Valley nemesis. The Lady Dawgs (25-13) eliminated San Benito from the Sweet 16 in 2008 and last season ousted Harlingen in the same round.

This season, Bowie comes in riding high after defeating defending 5A champ Smithson Valley 4-1 last week and has another talented bunch.

South coach Debbie Esparza said her club’s going to Alice with nothing to lose.

"We told the girls to relax and have fun," she said. "They know this is the furthest our school’s been before. But we told them to have fun and play their game and anything can happen."

The Lady Hawks rallied to beat Los Fresnos in bi-district before sweeping Eagle Pass Winn in area. They beat Brownsville Porter in the regional quarters last week.

Edinburg (29-4) takes on San Antonio Taft (23-9) beginning tonight in Laredo. Taft is ranked at No. 10 in this week’s Texas Girls Coaches Association poll.

The Lady Bobcats swept Weslaco and Rio Grande City before erupting to take two games from San Benito after dropping Game 1. Skipper Jesse Banda said his club has plenty of confidence heading into the series with the Lady Raiders.

"We feel pretty good about our chances," he said. "If we can go out and play like we can play, we have a really good chance of advancing."

The Lady Bobcats have plenty of pitching to go along with their well-advertised big bats.

"They’ve (Taft) got a good pitcher and the team’s built around her," Banda said. "But if we can hit the ball and get on base, we can win. And we’ve got pitchers we can bring in as well."

Samantha Arciba, Myranda Hinojosa and Leann Hinojosa have all seen time in the circle for Edinburg.

The Edinburg-Taft winner will face the South-Bowie winner in the regional final next weekend.

In Class 3A, Lyford is back in the Sweet 16 after making its first trip last season. This time, the Lady Bulldogs (27-3) will face LaGrange (33-5) in a best-of-three. Last week, the Lady Leopards beat Sweeny, which ousted Lyford last year in this round.

Lyford had a bye in bi-district before sweeping Hondo in area. And after going the distance to take down Robstown last week, Lyford coach Eloy Perez said his team’s mental approach is down pat.

"We’ve been here before, and we’re anxious to get going," Perez said. "I think we have a pretty good chance of advancing. We’re not gonna be intimidated. This group of girls we have is confident and they know what it takes."

LaGrange has allowed just one run in its three playoff series wins.

"They have a good pitcher and they execute well," Perez said. "We’re expecting a great ballclub and quality pitching."

The Lyford-LaGrange winner will face the Needville-Ingleside winner in next week’s regional final.

Armando Garza covers high school softball for Valley Freedom Newspapers. He can be reached at 956-430-6255 or at armandog@valleystar.com.