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VYPE 2022 Softball Preview: No. 14 Kingwood Mustangs
Kingwood Mustangs
If there is a team that will contend with Atascocita for supremacy in District 21-6A this season, it’ll be Kingwood. The Mustangs finished right behind the Eagles in district a year ago, falling in the opening round of the playoffs to Clear Springs and finished 19-13 overall.
Kingwood will be led by a solid senior group of Imani Fontaine (San Jacinto), Taylor Vannett (Texas Lutheran), Mary Martinez (Louisiana Tech), Jordan Iverson (Hardin-Simmons) and Kate Callaway (Cornell University). Also, watch out for UTSA-commit Meredith Schmitt in the circle for the Mustangs along with Martinez, which could be a solid one-two punch for Kingwood in 2022.
Tara Wolocko and incoming freshman Addyson Sheppard will be other names to remember for this squad. Sheppard could make big waves with her big bat.
"On Cloud 9": Kingwood's Martinez signs with LA Tech softball, wins Grand Championship with her Lamb
Before arriving at school, Martinez will go feed her animals, which usually takes 30 minutes of her morning. Then after softball practice, which can be a couple of hours long, it is back to the barn for another two to three hours at night to work with each of her animals, feeding them and maintaining their pens.
In the past few days all of the Kingwood High School senior's hard work has paid off.
On Tuesday, Martinez took home the Grand Championship Lamb at the 2022 Humble ISD Livestock Show, along with a showmanship award. Then, on Wednesday she officially signed to play softball at Louisiana Tech University.
"The past couple of days I have been on cloud 9 to say the least," Martinez said. "I’ve felt so many emotions to be able to see everything I’ve worked for pay off. Both of these programs are unbelievably rewarding in different ways and have impacted my life tremendously!
"I am extremely excited to play softball at Louisiana Tech. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit last fall and instantly knew I wanted to call it home. I am also super blessed to be able to play under such an amazing coaching staff. They already feel like family to me!"
Showing animals is something that Martinez has done every year of high school.
For the past few years, it has been goats that Martinez has shown. But because she won Grand Champion with her goat at last year's Humble Livestock Show she had to take a year off and decided to get a lamb instead.
Preparing a new animal for show and at the same time getting ready for softball season takes balancing act, but Martinez at this point has her routine down.
"Every year for me show season and softball season fall in the same months," she said. "Keeping a routine every day and sticking to my schedule is how I’ve prepared for both. I try and split my time equally between my two activities. Yes, I have a lot of late nights, but it has been 100% worth it!"
So, what's harder - getting a pitch or a lamb to do what you want it to?
"That’s hard one! But I’m going to have to go with lamb," Martinez said. "A pitch I can control, but sometimes these animals have minds of their own."