“That hurt,” said senior Lauryn Soeken, who is signed with LSU. “We literally don’t want to lose a game this year.”
In regards to the bus ride home after the loss to Kingwood?
“We had some great seniors on that team, and it was the last time we would ever play with them,” said Houston-signee Hailey Gore. “It was a punch to the face. We weren’t expected to lose that series. I can speak for everyone... this is a year for revenge. We know we have a lot to prove.”
“I think about that loss every, single day,” Missouri-signee Avery Porter said. “It was the worst day of my life.”
...
It’s a new day for Katy softball.
Long-time coach Kalum Haack has retired, and assistant Meghan Burrell has taken over.
No pressure, right?
“You have to understand that these kids live and breathe Katy softball,” Burrell said. “They came to our ‘Haack Attack’ youth softball camps back when they were 10 years old. They have grown up wanting this for years, and they are on a mission.”
Burrell has been at Katy for over a decade and looks forward to taking over for her legendary mentor in Haack, who had 850 wins in his career.
“I’m not nervous because he has prepared me for this moment,” she said. “It will be hard not to have that extensive knowledge of the game next to me, but I’m ready. He’s put me in a position to be successful.”
Burrell knows what’s at stake, especially this year.
The expectations are at an all-time high, and Katy will get every opponent’s best game.
“This group has had some heartbreak over the years,” she said. “When we have lost in the past, we have pushed the panic button and played not to win, but to not mess up. We have been knocked down, now what are we going to do?
“This is a competitive group with immense talent. When we are at our best, we can’t lose. We are going to have to handle hard, better.”
No one knows this collection of talent better than Burrell, having witnessed their growth for nearly a decade.
“This a is collection of type-A leaders, but they all do it a different way,” she said. “Avery Porter is the leader on defense along with our catcher Madi Smith. Hailey Gore is our serious one, and Montgomery Henderson (Oklahoma State-signee) brings the energy. Lauryn (Soeken) and EK (Smith) are very focused on the mound. It’s a very close group.”The baby of the bunch is Ella Kate Smith, the junior committed to back-to-back-to-back National Champion Oklahoma. She tries to keep this all in perspective.
“At the end of the day, it’s about the passion of the game that you play with,” she said. “This game can be stressful, so I just try and have fun in the moment. I have the words ‘stay spicy’ on my glove to remind me of that.”
Hopefully, the last bus ride this season won’t be sour or spicy, but sweet.
He has the look and the name, but what about the game? Omar Serna is the No. 2 ranked player in all of Texas and has signed with national power LSU.
“What I think is more important than the five tools of baseball is being a good teammate,” he said. “That is my main focus... to do anything I can to help the team, whether that is hitting a home run, hitting for average, throwing someone out our managing the pitchers and defense.”
He is most at home behind the plate.
“I love to be in control of the game,” he said. “Having an influence on every pitch and getting the defense lined up right or calling pitches keeps me engaged. When I was a kid, I never really paid attention to the catchers, I liked players like George Springer, Jose Altuve, and Carlos Correa. Now, I respect guys like Buster Posey, JT Realmuto, and Jose Trevino, and see how they go about their craft.”
His other homes away from home are the golf course and the woods.
“I love to play golf with my guys Nico Partida (Pearland), Lucas Franco (Cinco Ranch) and Mason Murphy (Ridge Point) to unwind from baseball,” he laughed. “I can carry 300-plus yards off the tee, but my wedges are pretty good too. I also love to be out in nature, either hunting or fishing in my off time.”
Starting this fall, Serna will pack his bags and head for Louisiana, monikered the Sportsman’s Paradise, for its rich hunting and fishing holes. He will wear the purple-and-gold of LSU.
“I committed there when I was a freshman,” he said. “Coach (Jay) Johnson has built them back into a national brand and I love his style. The fanbase is insane and it’s an atmosphere like no other.”
For now, Serna has hopes of winning a ring with the Pioneers of the TAPPS private school ranks.
“The goal here is always a State Championship,” he said. “With this group of guys, we have a good shot at it again. I can’t wait to get started.”
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