The 2024 softball season starts next week, with one team looking to run its streak of playoff seasons to eight straight and the other looking for a return to the post-season party.
Abilene High School enters the 2024 season with another squad that should contend for the District 4-5A championship and is a threat to make a deep playoff run. The Eagles have reached the playoffs in seven straight seasons, including the last two under head coach Jenna Aguirre, who was Jenna Bane until she and AHS assistant football and baseball coach Conlan Aguirre were married during the Christmas break.
Cooper enters the 2024 under head coach Stacey Herring, looking to return to the playoffs after missing the postseason the last two seasons. Cooper has played softball for 30 years and has been to the playoffs in 10 of those seasons. In her nine seasons at Cooper, Herring has led the Cougars to the postseason four times, and they probably would have reached the playoffs in 2020 if COVID hadn’t put an end to the season a little more than a week into the schedule.
Abilene High, which reached the area round of the Class 5A playoffs last season, is one of the favorites to reach the playoffs and perhaps capture the District 4-5A championship heading into the season. The Eagles will face stiff competition from defending district champion Lubbock Monterey and Wylie, the 2023 runner-up. Monterey went four rounds deep in the playoffs, and Wylie three.
Abilene High opens its season on Monday (Feb. 12) at home against White Settlement Brewer at 6:30 p.m. before heading to Central Texas to play in the Comal ISD Tournament next weekend.
“The playoffs are absolutely an expectation in this softball program, and neither the coaching staff nor girls will ever settle for less,” Aguirre said. “We are working to build a program where the district championship is the expectation. Our girls work year-round to perfect their craft, and we have been blessed with athletes who love to win. To be the best, you have to play and beat the best, and that’s why our schedule is as tough as it is early on. We will continue working hard and strengthening our weaknesses to put the program in position to play softball in June soon (state tournament).”
The Cougars lost nine seniors and will field one of the youngest teams of Herring’s tenure at Cooper. The Cougars return five starters, and Herring is counting on that experience to help lead the Coogs back to the playoffs after a two-year absence. Herring is succinct in detailing what it will take for the Cougars to get back into the mix for a playoff spot and reach the postseason.
“It’s going to take hard work and dedication to the program and the team,” she said.
The Cougars start their season next weekend by playing in the Tournament of Champions in Carrollton before playing at Odessa High on Feb. 20.
2024 ABILENE HIGH SOFTBALL PREVIEW
Last season: 27-7, 9-3 (3rd in District 4-5A)
Head Coach: Jenna Aguirre (8th season overall / 3rd season at Abilene High)
Coach Aguirre’s record: 103-80 career / 44-20 at Abilene High
Last district championship: 2019
Last playoff appearance: 2023 (def. Amarillo Caprock, 2-0, in best-of-three bi-district series; lost to El Paso Hanks, 2-0, in best-of-three area round series)
Last playoff series win: 2023 (def. Amarillo Caprock, 2-0, in a best-of-three Class 5A bi-district series)
Top Returners (name, classification, position): Amyah Starks, sr, 2B/1B; Marissa Cardenas, sr, inf; Diana Silva, sr, p; Kinzley Cantu, jr, ss; Avah Reyes, soph, p; Mariah Estrada, soph, 3B
Top Newcomers (name, classification, position): Makayla Gutierrez, jr, C; Brieyonna Reed, soph, CF
Key Games on the Schedule:
March 5 – at Wylie, 6:30 p.m.
March 12 – vs. Cooper, 1 p.m.
March 14 – vs. Lubbock Monterey, 1 p.m.
March 28 – vs. Wylie, 6:30 p.m.
April 2 – at Cooper, 6:30 p.m.
April 5 – at Lubbock Monterey, 6:30 p.m.
2024 team strengths, weaknesses, and team goals:
- Strengths – Experience, strength, multi-position kids, and chemistry as a team
- Weaknesses – Depth
- Team goals – Win a district championship and make a deep run in the playoffs.
Coach Aguirre says: “This team is a special one. We return many familiar faces, and all starters have started in a varsity game at some point. They worked hard in the off-season and have set high goals for themselves. They love one another and this game. As a coaching staff, we return everyone and have been able to strengthen our relationships with the girls. I have the best assistant coaching staff in the state. We coach them hard and love them harder. We are excited to see what this year has in store.”
… about the district race: “After starting slow last season, we are looking forward to the district and playing Monterey and Wylie. We are striving for a district championship and will compete in every way to achieve that.”
… how much momentum carries over to this season from 2024: “Last year ended much sooner than we hoped. However, it was everything we needed to go into this year. The girls got a taste of success but also felt some tough losses. We want to face adversity early in the season to prepare us for the tough road ahead.”
2024 COOPER SOFTBALL PREVIEW
Last season: 10-16 overall, 2-10 (7th in District 4-5A)
Head Coach: Stacey Herring (29th season overall / 10th season at Cooper)
Coach Herring’s record: 446-290-13 career
Last district championship: 1994
Last playoff appearance: 2021 (lost to Aledo, 2-0, in best-of-three series Region I-5A semifinal series)
Last playoff series win: 2021 (def. El Paso Hanks, 2-0, in best-of-three Region I-5A quarterfinal series)
Top Returners (name, classification, position): Jazlyn Hatcher, sr, cf; Maddie Fry, jr, p/1B; Emma Ruiz, jr, of; Lynette Aguilar, jr, ss; Gabby DeLeon, jr, c
Top Newcomers (name, classification, position): Peyton Ellis, fr, p/if
Key Games on the Schedule:
March 12 – at Abilene High, 1 p.m.
March 141 – vs. Wylie, 1 p.m.
April 2 – vs. Abilene High, 6:30 p.m.
April 5 at Wylie, 6:30 p.m.
2024 team strengths, weaknesses, and team goals:
- Strengths – Five returning starters with varsity experience and as team leaders.
- Weaknesses – Graduated nine seniors last year and will have a young team.
- Team goals – To have a winning season and make the playoffs
Coach Herring says:
… about her team: “We are young but have experience in key positions on the field.”
… about the district race: “The district will be decided by pitching and errors.”
