History was made last year as the 2015 softball team went 10-2 in district and won the first playoff series in the school’s history. They had advanced in the playoffs before, however, the 2-1 series win over Judson was a first for MacArthur. The softball program, headed by Coach Anthony Alfaro, has made the postseason three years in a row and has quietly been one of the more consistent teams that Mac has.
Now as for this year’s team. Chemistry will not be an issue as they return every key contributor from the 2015 team except for their starting pitcher. They return 84 percent of their total hits from last season and their depth appears to be a strength for them. Last year they averaged 9.8 runs in 12 district games. This year, the same players have an extra year of experience under their belts, which will certainly raise their runs scored to an even higher total. Even with only one senior in the team, inexperience should not be a concern because of the amount of talent that they have throughout their roster.
The girls are ranked #5 in the city in the E-N(Express News) preseason rankings and are the only NEISD team in the top ten.
Every dominant team needs a star, and this year that star is sophomore Kiersten Licea. As a freshman she led the district in home runs(7), and was tied for first in the city in doubles(15). She was the Newcomer of the Year in San Antonio for 2015 and will continue to be the steady rock in the heart of the lineup this season.
Beating them twice, Johnson was the only thorn in the team’s side last year. This year Johnson will be a prominent contender yet again as they have the best pitcher in the district, and return 74 percent of their hits from last year, however, they did lose two key seniors from last year’s team. These two schools will be battling it out for the top spot for the entire season, and on paper, Mac has a slight edge on the Jags to open up 2016.
The girls played their first game against #9 ranked Brandeis earlier this week and scored two runs in the bottom of the 7th to win their season opener 8-7. Freshman Taylor Medina displayed the power in their lineup with a home run in the win. They have 11 non district games to play over the next two weeks, then they begin their quest for a district title.
