GAMES
RANKINGS
Lake Creek's Kalee Rochinski
THE PROSPECTUS: H-Town’s best competing in 5A Regional Semis
The Regional Tournament should be even more thrilling, considering two heavy-hitters like Lake Creek and Barbers Hill will be battling it out. A red-hot Santa Fe team is carrying their momentum up against Georgetown.
Let’s get right into it, shall we?
Here’s the prospectus Regional Semis of the 5A softball playoffs
H-Town 5A Standouts: Sidne Peters (Sr. P)--Santa Fe
Juan De Leon (VYPE)
Barbers Hill Eagles v. Lake Creek Lions
Some of the stars of 2022-23 Barbers Hill Softball
Juan De Leon (VYPE)
2022-23 Regular Season: 32-2/District 17-5A Champions
Head Coach: Aaron Fuller
2022-23 Playoffs:
- Bi-District: 2-1 Series Win (Game 1: L 1-2, Game 2: W 6-2, Game 3: W 14-3) v. Angleton
- Area Round: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 6-5, Game 2: W 1-0) v. Fulshear
- Regional Quarters: 2-1 Series Win (Game 1: L 0-2, Game 2: W 2-1, Game 3: W 11-1) v. Friendswood
2022-23 Regular Season: 34-0/District 21-5A Champions
Head Coach: Michelle Rochinski
2022-23 Playoffs:
- Bi-District: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 12-0, Game 2:W 11-1) v. Shoemaker
- Area Round: 11-0 Win v. Elgin
- Regional Quarters: 9-0 Win v. Pflugerville
This is the most anticipated series of the postseason thus far, plain and simple.
In one corner, there is a Barbers Hill team that's coming off a statement win against Friendswood.
Despite narrowly being defeated in Game No. 1 against the Mustangs, the Eagles rebutted with a hard-fought win of their own before running away with the series, in a stunning 11-1 clincher.
Senior IF Reagan Duty led Barbers Hill in the final game with five RBIs, while Emma Hargrave (Jr. IF/P), Sophie Naivar (Sr. OF), and junior OF Brookelyn Livanec drove in runs of their to send the Eagles to Round No. 4.
In the other corner, you have the still undefeated Lake Creek (79-game winning streak) who is coming off yet another one-sided victory against Pflugerville.
The Lions were flexing in the Area Round. Reigning State MVP Ava Brown sat down 15 batters on the mound, while Kalee Rochinski (Sr. C), Madalyn Davis (Fr. 2B), and junior OF Carmen Uribe provided the firepower at the plate--highlighted by Rochinski's three-run homer in the first inning.
Lake Creek and Barbers Hill are among the best in the business. The top-shelf pitching battle alone--Ava Brown v. Hailey Nutter--is enough to draw audiences.
Grand Oaks high school will be the venue of what could be the series of the year.
2022-23 Lake Creek Softball
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
Santa Fe Indians v. Georgetown Eagles
2022-23 Santa Fe Softball
Juan De Leon (VYPE)
Santa Fe Indians
2022-23 Regular Season: 24-5-1/Finished 2nd in District 18-5A
Head Coach: Andrew Whittington
2022-23 Playoffs:
- Bi-District: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 12-2, Game 2: W 5-3) v. Port Neches-Groves
- Area Round: 10-0 Win v. Terry
- Regional Quarters: 2-1 Series Win (Game 1: L 0-1, Game 2: W 4-2, Game 3: W 4-3) v. Foster
Georgetown Eagles
2022-23 Regular Season: 31-4/District 23-5A Champions
Head Coach: Melissa Hall
2022-23 Playoffs:
- Bi-District: 12-1 Win v. Eastside
- Area Round: 11-1 Win v. Magnolia
- Regional Quarters: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 2-0, Game 2: W 4-1) v. College Station
Santa Fe is quietly emerging as a bona fide contender in the Class 5A race.
They showed their mettle after dropping the opener against Foster, particularly with the series-saving showing made in Game No. 2 by senior Sidne Peters, who batted 3-for-3 with an RBI, while throwing 12 Ks and only letting up two runs.
Others notable performances included that of Mea Slayton (Jr. OF) who drove two runs home in the Indians' 4-2 victory, while seniors Makenna Mitchell (SS) and Brooklyn Spencer (C/3B) provided the consistency at-bat to earn Santa Fe a trip to the Regional Tournament.
Next up for SFHS is a red-hot Georgetown team who have gone undefeated through the playoffs thus far, but with all the speed Santa Fe is picking up, they'll see to it that changes.
Clear Falls' Maxwell Williams
THE PLAYMAKERS: Grand Slams, Strikes and Strikers powered by UTMB Health
Welcome to the VYPE Playmakers, powered by UTMB Health, where we’re highlighting five standouts of the south Houston area. Here are the UTMB Athletes of the Week!
Jordi Garcia, Dobie Boys Soccer
Dobie Soccer following their Regional Semifinals win against Katy Jordan
Photo acquired via Twitter: @DobieBoysSoccer
The Longhorns were a force to be reckoned with on the pitch this Winter.
Following an undefeated District Championship, Dobie advanced to the fifth round of the UIL Soccer postseason to ultimately become the Region III Runner Ups. Their total record was a remarkable 24-1-4 on the season.
This was in no small part due to the phenomenal play by senior forward Jordi Garcia, who led Dobie’s attack throughout the year. Most recently, he had a significant role in the Longhorns’ win against Katy Jordan to make the Pasadena ISD school the Regional Semifinals Champions. Dobie was reached the Region Finals for the first time in six years.
Makenna Mitchell, Santa Fe Softball
Santa Fe's Makenna Mitchell
Juan De Leon (VYPE)
Santa Fe Softball is at it again.
Boasting a ridiculous 23-2-1 (7-1 district) record, the Indians are on the fast track to their second-consecutive district title with the postseason right around the corner.
Among the considerable number of standouts on the roster, senior SS Makenna Mitchell (Texas Tech-signee) has been one of the most consistent both on the field and at bat. As it currently stands, Mitchell leads the team in hits (34), runs (34) and stolen bases (19) with her other stats being equally sublime (.453 BA, 22 RBIs, 5 HR).
Mitchell, along with her fellow playmakers such as senior RHP Sidne Peters, will make Santa Fe a team worth fearing come playoff time.Maxwell Williams, Clear Falls Baseball
Clear Falls' Maxwell Williams
Juan De Leon (VYPE)
With a current record of 16-9 (5-1 in district), Clear Falls is on the verge of regaining the district crown as the regular season is almost wrapped up.
The leadership displayed by senior RHP/OF Maxwell Williams has been a big reason for that, among the performances from several of the Knights’ other key players.
Despite the fact that he’s primarily a football player (Navy-signee), Williams has been making some noise on the diamond in his swan-song year. He’ll be depended on to be one of the driving forces in the bullpen to aid Clear Falls in their potential playoff run.
Olivia Schmidt, Friendswood Girls Soccer
Friendswood celebrates after their win over Waltrip in the UIL Area Round
Photo acquired via HC Laura Peter
Senior forward Olivia Schmidt was the driving force behind Friendswood’s exceptional Winter season.
After surpassing 100 career goals in February, she helped lead the Mustangs to an undefeated (12-0) district championship en route to the UIL postseason.
From there, Schmidt would play a significant role in the team’s advancement past Goose Creek Memorial (2-1) in the Bi-District round, followed by a hat-trick she scored in Friendswood’s 5-1 win over Waltrip in the Area Round, before ultimately falling to Port Neches-Groves in the Regional Quarterfinals.
Despite the Mustangs’ season ending sooner than expected, Schmidt’s presence on the pitch in her final year cannot be overstated.
Mia Estrello, Brazoswood Softball
Brazoswood's Mia Estrello
Photo acquired via Twitter: @LadyBucsSB
Sophomore 2B/3B Mia Estrello is supercharging the Brazoswood softball program in the homestretch of the regular season.
After recently hitting a grand slam to propel her team past Clear Brook in a pivotal district matchup, the Lady Bucs now sit firmly atop their division with a 22-5 (8-1 district) record.
Considering Estrello is only in her second year at the school, the future of the program will be in good hands.
However, all that matters now is the team’s imminent playoff run, as Estrello, Tennessee-commit Peyton Tanner (Jr. RHP), Haley Hughes (Sr. OF/C) and Taryn McDougal (Sr. C) will be among the talented Brazoswood lineup who will be pushing for a State Championship.Our specialists recognize the importance of being able to maintain an active lifestyle and whether you’re looking to address a joint injury, receive prompt treatment for a concussion, or simply improve your overall athletic performance, UTMB Health Orthopedics Sports Medicine is here to help.