Lights, cameras …. Play Ball!
That’s what it will be like Friday for the Odessa College softball team.
The Lady Wranglers, ranked fourth in the nation, host Howard College in a Western Junior College Athletic Conference doubleheader that will be televised by ESPN+.
First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Odessa College head coach Jeff Jackson is excited about the opportunity to showcase his team to a national audience.
The team had the opportunity to play on national television during the fall when it traveled to face the University of Texas at McCombs Field.
Odessa College shortstop Kawehi Ili said the focus needs to be on the game, not the cameras that will be recording every minute of the contests
“I don’t like to really think about that much; it kind of messes with my game personally,” she said. “I think of it as another day on the field, trying to forget all the cameras facing us.
“Hopefully we can just play our game.”
The Lady Wranglers (36-4 overall, 12-0 in conference) are coming off a four-game sweep of rival Midland College last week, outscoring the Lady Chaps 38-5.
“I think we played good enough,” Jackson said. “I thought our bats were outstanding; at the right moments we were tremendous.
“Pitching was a little off this weekend, but again it was still good enough. Our goal is to compete with whatever we’ve got for that day and I thought we did a really good job of just that.”
One of the sparkplugs this season has been third baseman Clarisa Zapata.
From the leadoff spot, the sophomore is hitting .482 with a team-leading 14 home runs, while tied with Camryn Milley with 41 RBIs.
Jackson said that he used the fall schedule to experiment with Zapata at the top of the order and she has just taken over that spot.
“She is hitting the ball hard,” he said. “She’s getting on base, making pitchers work and she has even stolen more bases this year.”
>> BACK HOME: The Wranglers baseball team hasn’t played at home since March 26 but that will change when it hosts Clarendon College in a four-game series Friday and Saturday.
Doubleheaders are schedule to start at noon each day.
Odessa College (21-17, 10-1) went 5-3 during its past eight games on the road — finishing 3-1 against Frank Phillips College on March 31 and April 1 — and then 2-2 last week at New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, N.M.
The Wranglers earned a pair of easy victories (13-2, 13-0) in the series, while dropping 10-9 and 9-6 decisions to the Broncos.
Infielder Liam MacDonald, who leads the team with 10 home runs, said that the team needed to be better in key situations in the losses.
“When it came down to it, we needed to score runs in the crucial situations,” he said. “We’re a good offensive team, we need to put up runs when we can, get those big hits when we have runners on base.
“I think, more so, it’s an urgency thing, to get it done early.”
>> KEY TOURNAMENT: The Odessa College women’s golf team has been off for a month, having last swung clubs in tournament action at the TankLogix Collegiate at Ranchland Hills Golf Course in Midland.
That will change next week as the team travels to compete in the Southwest District Championship at Hillcrest Country Club in Sun City, Ariz.
The Lady Wranglers are ranked third in the nation in their first year of competition.
This tournament is the qualifier for the NJCAA Division I Women’s National Championships.
Freshman Rylie Rodriguez used the time away from competition to work on her game, as did her teammates.
She is ready to see if the hard work has paid off.
“The time off before our big tournament has given us time to reflect and choose the points of our games that need to work and elevate those areas,” Rodriguez said. “Personally, I’m working on hitting more greens in regulation.
“Honestly, it’s about our team bond. When we are good, it’s because we are playing for each other and not ourselves and I think that’s what sets us apart.”
>> Follow Lee Scheide on Twitter at @OALeeScheide
