George Ranch sophomore Melanie Maier.
Longhorns sophomore Maier makes history en route to state
Maier is the first George Ranch golfer, boy or girl, to make it to the state tournament in Class 6A. She finished third at the Region III-6A meet last month to advance to state, teeing off Monday at Legacy Hills Golf Club in Georgetown.
“I love making my school proud of me and I’m glad I get to represent George Ranch,” Maier said. “I just want to go out there, play my own golf and see where I stand. State is like any other tournament. I’ve played with a lot of these girls outside of school, so a lot of it is familiar to me.”
As a freshman, Maier finished in the top 20 at regionals, shooting the same two-round score she did this year (154). It took a second-day flourish last year to make top 20. She shot five-over-par 77 on both days this year to medal.
“Last year, I don’t think I really thought I could make it,” Maier said. “This year, I felt I could go out there and qualify for state. Last year, I was so worried about making state as a freshman and trying to wow everyone. This year, I was able to worry about myself and not worry about expectations.”
Maier is continuing a family legacy on the links.
Her older brother Matthew, class of 2018, went to state as a freshman when the Longhorns made it as a team in 2015. Her younger brother, Mitchell, is a freshman who tied for 20th at regionals with a two-day score of 162.
“I believe golf, at a minimum, is 51 percent mental,” Del Rosario said. “As far as physically, knowing her dad and Matthew and Mitchell, they can all play. But Melanie is strong mentally. She’s quiet, never gets too emotional. There’s an internal confidence, but she is cool, calm and collected.”
George Ranch sophomore Melanie Maier.VYPE Media
Maier loves the challenge golf awards her.
“There’s always something better to do; there’s always something to fix,” she said. “It’s constantly changing.”
Maier is adept at focusing on her own game, rather than concerning herself with competitors and their play. She hits a lot of fairways. Her short game is good. She is confident out of the bunker.
Maier has learned from both brothers. From Matthew, she studied what she should and shouldn’t do. Matthew was a long hitter who didn’t hit fairways. He taught her to hit the ball straight rather than far.
In Mitchell, Maier admires his confidence.
“Golf kind of just runs in the family,” Maier said. “When it comes down to it, we all love playing together and spending that time together on the golf course.”
Right now, Maier has the upper hand. Yes, Matthew made it to state, but it is more difficult, Del Rosario said, to qualify for state as an individual than as a member of a team. Mitchell figures to eventually make it to state sooner than later. He’s well on his way.
But for now, it’s Melanie’s time to shine.
“Get out of her way,” Del Rosario said, laughing, when asked what his message will be for his star player leading up to state. “I really mean that. Obviously, I’m there if she needs me. But what she needs sometimes is for me to get out of the way, and then if she needs me she’ll let me know. Once we step onto the course, I know she’ll do her thing.”
Foster is 31-5 and in the regional quarterfinals for the first time since 2018 after shocking defending 5A state champ Barbers Hill in the area round Friday.
After upsetting defending 5A champs, Foster 'ready to do something really great'
And yet Foster never wavered, and even thrived, in shocking the Eagles, 2-1, in eight innings in Pearland, rallying from a 1-0 deficit in the final inning to go to 31-5 and move on to the third round next week.
“Before the game, it was hailing outside of our bus,” sophomore shortstop Ella McDowell said. “I was asleep; I’m scared of rain. But our team was singing, talking game plan and just really up. We were talking even before the game that it was going to be the night we got past that second round. Then the lights go out and we light a candle that one of our players (Morgan Gutierrez) made for Coach (Keely) Shuler for her birthday, and spirits were just really high. We never lost faith once.”
And the Falcons are back in the regional quarters for the first time since they went to the state semifinals four years ago, and for the first time, ever, for this group of seniors.
“It feels great to get over that hump, and it’s even sweeter it was against Barbers Hill,” senior catcher Emily Naivar said. “They knocked us out my freshman year in the second round, so we have been waiting on our revenge for a long time. This is definitely the most special win in my time at Foster.”
Junior centerfielder Mickayla Tosch came up huge, responsible for both of Foster’s runs in the bottom half of the eighth inning.
After senior Ripley Welker singled to lead off and McDowell popped out to short, Tosch’s RBI single, which she advanced to second and third on off an error by the Eagles left fielder, scored Welker and evened the game 1-1.
“That was my (third) at-bat against (Eagles freshman ace) Hailey (Nutter) and I knew what she was going to throw me,” said Tosch, who was 2-for-3 at the plate. “I was almost certain she was going to throw me up-and-out, and, actually, the first pitch was in. I took that ball right through the 5-6 hole.”
All week during practice, Foster coaches threw players pitches that were up-and-out, mimicking Nutter’s tendencies. It also helped that Tosch was familiar with Nutter, her select ball teammate.
“That calmed my nerves,” Tosch said. “I had seen her before; I knew what she was going to throw. I’ve played against her before. I felt calm.”
In sophomore Bailey Lechler’s next at-bat, she fouled off a pitch and took a ball before Nutter delivered a wild pitch that slipped past catcher Peyton Helmly, scoring Tosch and inducing sheer joy from the home dugout.
“Once that ball was gone, I knew I had it,” said Tosch, a talented cross country and track and field distance runner. “I’m decently fast. The backstop slopes a little bit and the ball rolled, so I knew it wasn’t going to bounce back too hard. I got a good jump and took off.”
Foster junior Mickayla Tosch.VYPE Media
Though they were down by a run to a state champion with their last three outs left, the Falcons were coolly confident and poised.
“Our energy level never changed,” Naivar said. “We fought that entire game. We were not going to give up that easy. It was really important that we stayed supporting each other through the entire game. It was a complete team effort, and that’s why we were able to come out on top.”
The Falcons were prepared. During practices, coaches made sure players knew where on the field each Barbers Hill player liked to hit and shifted the defense accordingly each at-bat.
Players were also determined to avoid déjà vu.
In an April 22 game against eventual district champ Angleton, Foster watched, almost lethargically, as the Wildcats won, 3-2, in eight innings. It was a wake-up call.
Since then, there has been significant emphasis on accountability and a more competitive environment in practices.
If a Falcon missed a groundball or didn’t have the right approach at the plate, a teammate would let her hear about it.
Foster, ultimately, determined that slip-ups and laziness were no longer OK. And in the biggest game of its season in four years, that accordance paid dividends.
“We showed a lot of maturity and fight, and that’s something our team has been lacking,” McDowell said. “Against Angleton, they got up on us and we kind of shut down. We didn’t know how to respond. I feel we’ve grown in the last few weeks, to where when Barbers Hill scored that run in the top of the eighth to go up, no one hung their head or was down. We just never lost hope.”
Making for one heck of a birthday gift for Shuler.
“I know she had one birthday wish and it was to win, so I’m so happy we got it done for her,” Naivar said. “I know she had a lot of family and friends there, so it meant a lot more. She does so much for us. It was a big deal to get that special win on her special day.”
The Falcons know that not many expected them to still be playing into the second week of May.
And yet, here they are.
“I don’t think it’s set in,” Tosch said. “I think this week when we start practicing again, it will. There was a lot going on in that one night. A ton of crazy things that happened. It just gives us more confidence.
“No one’s expecting us to win or do great things, necessarily, so if we just go out there and play our game, I think we can do something really great.”