Softball: Smith and Walters represent OHS at TGCA All-Star Game

They burst on the scene together four years ago, freshmen expected to make an immediate impact on the Odessa High softball program.

They delivered as promised, helped the Lady Bronchos qualify for the playoffs four straight seasons and last year, the duo was part of a OHS squad that made history by reaching the Class 5A state semifinals.

Tonight, Kristy Smith and Chelsey Walters get one more chance to showcase the skills that made them mainstays in the Lady Bronchos’ lineup for the past four seasons when they compete in the Texas Girls Coaches Association All-Star Game at McCombs Field at the University of Texas in Austin.

“It feels good to be playing in the game,” said Smith, who will continue her career at Purdue University next year.

“There are a lot of girls that we’ve competed against in high school and during the summer on the team, so it’s good to get to know them. It’s an honor to be selected and it should be a lot of fun.”

Smith and Walters are part of a Class 4A-5A West all-star squad that features 15 players, five of them coming from District 2-5A — Smith, Walters, Stephanie Rendon of Midland Lee, Samantha Baeza of Midland High and Kelsey Blackstock of Lubbock Coronado.

“That just shows you how tough our district was,” said Walters, who signed with Angelo State University.

Walters also will be showing how tough she is, as she continues to play on a right foot that has two stress fractures. She injured her foot before the regular season and played all year with the injuries.

She wore a boot on her right foot away from the field, and although the injury has curtailed the amount of time she’s had on the field during the summer, she’s ready to play tonight.

“Like Kristy said, this is an honor to be selected,” Walters said. “It’s a pretty relaxed environment and our last chance to show what we have; kind of a reward for our season and our careers.”

Among the spectators will be former OHS coach Stephanie Graham, who led the Lady Bronchos for the past 11 seasons before resigning in June to take a similar position at Mesquite High.

Graham will be introduced with Smith and Walters and can’t wait for the chance to again see two of the linchpins of her success.

“It was so exciting to have been able to coach them the past four years because you knew they were going to give everything they had every game,” Graham said. “They competed and helped the program grow each year and that’s all I ever could have asked of them.”