Before the first crack of the bat for this season, head coach Amanda Wolf and assistant coach Shanika Randle rolled onto campus, bringing with them a history of winning at Elgin High School

They replaced longtime and legendary coaches Wayne and Lisa Daigle, who retired after this past season.

The softball team started with a series of scrimmages showcasing returning stars Seneca Anthony and Cassie Blevins, along with returning senior Lauren González and newcomer Ryanne Limon.

In addition to a couple of scrimmages, the team showed its strength in a tournament at Alamo Heights, going 3-0 on the day and looking like the team to beat in the tournament. Pitchers Anthony and Limon looked solid in the preseason games.

The pitching staff has “great depth and is a real strength,” Wolf said.

As for fielding, the hot corner is manned by returning junior Blevins, who made a handful of dazzling plays in the preseason.

At shortstop, senior Lauren Gonzalez and freshman Abby Brand stand out at at turning two, and they can form a Jose Altuve-Carlos Correa type of connection in District 26-6A. Of course, they will be tested by Canyon and New Braunfels.

Manning the outfield is, one of two returning seniors, Sydney Drott. she made a spectacular catch in the scrimmage against Brennen. Also, Savannah Koonts who is a opening her second year at the varsity level. lastly is Lexi Vasquez who is a stellar hitter and outfielder in the roster.

On the hitting side of things, the bats are cracking, and scrimmages saw jaw-dropping numbers in the runs scored column, beating Churchill, Brennan and Alamo Heights.

Look for the speed and leadership of leadoff hitter Gonzalez to fuel the 2-3 duo of Blevins and Lexi Vasquez, and put power hitters Anthony and Maddie MacDougall in the best situations to be successful.