“It was a truly memorable season for the Lady Pirates—we came into this year with a different mindset,” said GHS Lady Pirate softball head coach Victor Aldaz.
“It was a mindset to compete.”
Aldaz added, “We had some really good games and some where we struggled.”
Aldaz indicated that last year the playoffs felt like a “distant dream” – while this year we were “right on the bubble.”
Despite not making the state tournament, Aldaz believes that “the fire is still burning” and we’ll be back next year.
Aldaz had praise for outstanding individual performances this season. Olivia Toivanen led in batting average with a .564. Raeyna Valdez scored 35 runs and hit 7 home runs. Delilah Martinez had 38 hits while Melia Chavez had 17 doubles. Alynn Ohtole had 73 strikeouts for the season from the mound. “To have so many players reaching these kinds of stats and rankings in the top 25 and 50 across 4A is simply phenomenal,” said Aldaz.
The team will graduate Abryanna Garcia, Kymber Cash, Samantha Carlson and Tieyerra Gonzalez. Aldaz had much praise for his seniors, “Their contributions were invaluable, I wish them the best.”
Highlights for the Pirates were a 7-game winning streak and though they have never beat Belen, “we went to their hometown and went 6-1,” these are the moments that show how far we have come,” said Aldaz.
We had a watch party to see if we were selected for state, “While we weren’t selected this year–I saw ‘fuel’ in their eyes for next year,” said Aldaz.
“The future is bright for the Lady Pirates”