H.S. Softball: Stamford defies odds in state semifinal return

AUSTIN — It would have been easy to discount Stamford's chances of returning to the UIL State softball tournament.

The Bulldogs had a new head coach in Sean Slavin and graduated five seniors off a team that won a state title in 2021 and returned to the semis in 2022.

Among those seniors was Citlaly Gutierrez who liked McCombs Field so much she still plays there — only now as a pitcher for Texas.

But those that doubted the Bulldogs could return may have underestimated what they were capable of and the drive and determination the team had to get back to the state's final four.

"I think we proved a lot of people wrong," Stamford senior Brylee Strand said. "We proved we are a good team and are capable of this. It was so good to come back even though everyone doubted us.

"We worked as a team and we bonded. We came together and every game we got better and that is what good teams do."

The Bulldogs (27-7-1) fell 7-1 on Tuesday to Como-Pickton, unable to string together hits, while leaving eight on base, but that did not lessen the accomplishment of the program making its third straight trip to the state tournament.

"This entire group of girls is talented," said junior Jay'Lynn Hatley, who led the Bulldogs with three hits on Tuesday. "We have an excellent pitcher (Emma Follis). This was her first year and I think she did great.

"We had too many errors in the field and we were just placing the ball and we weren't hitting gaps today."

Stamford found a budding star in freshman Follis, who hit .638 this season and was 18-5 as a pitcher.

Though her youth and inexperience showed at times, with four-pitch walks to open the first two innings, which set up a three-run first for the Eagles, the experience will help her and the team as it tries to make it four straight trips to Austin next season.

"You never want to get down early — we had some jitters and Emma didn't seem comfortable in the first inning," Slavin said. "We are a good team and we are an experienced team. We know how to rally back. We were able to put some runners on the bags later in the game, we were just not able to get them in, unfortunately."

Again the Bulldogs will graduate a strong senior class that was the core of their state pedigree, but will return Follis and Hatley, who led the team at the plate going 3 for 3 with a double.

Laylonna Applin and Emily Patterson ended their Stamford careers with multiple hit games, part of nine hits for the Bulldogs, but two three-run innings were too much to overcome, along with missed opportunities.

None were greater than in the fifth when Madi Woolf, Raylan Villanueva and Patterson all notched hits to start the frame, but Como-Pickton pitcher Mattison Buster induced three straight ground balls, setting up force plays at home twice to keep Stamford off the board.

"There was a lot of doubt, I think," Slavin said. "When you lose a big pitcher like (Gutierrez) a lot of questions are asked. Emma has done a great job for us all year. She has stepped up big and she is going to be the future of Stamford softball.

"It is really hard to get here. It isn't something anyone should take for granted. A lot of schools start out with that goal. We have to put in the work and develop younger players to get back here again."

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: 2023 UIL State Softball: Stamford defies odds in state return