Big Country softball: Stamford, Hermleigh entering state tourneys with lofty goals

Stamford, the Class 2A defending champion, is two games away from doing it again.

The Lady Bulldogs (24-4) defeated Coleman, Haskell, Floydada and Hamlin in the playoffs to reach the state tournament for the third year in a row. They will face Lovelady at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the semifinals.

“We’re going to stick to what we know and what we’ve been doing all year long, and that’s Lady Bulldog softball,” Stamford head coach Cyndi Herrera said.

Stamford is 18-0 against opponents from Class 2A this year — but they haven’t beaten just 2A squads.

The Lady Bulldogs defeated Cooper (5A), Mansfield Legacy (5A), Brock (3A), Holliday (3A), Jacksboro (3A) and Burkburnett (4A), among others, in the regular season. And all four of their losses came against foes from higher classes.

Herrera believes the daunting slate will benefit her squad at state.

“We see a lot of quality pitching in those big schools and that’s what we want,” Herrera said. “When we get down to state, we’re going to see darn good pitching. They’re only going to make us a better team.”

Stamford also has another advantage: the Lady Bulldogs have done it before.

They took down Weimar 1-0 in the semifinals a year ago before defeating Crawford 5-4 in the state title game.

“We know what it’s like to be in those pressured situations and the intensity that comes with it,” Herrera said.

Stamford’s last game was its 10-2 win over Hamlin on Wednesday.

With a short turnaround, much of Stamford’s recent focus in practice has been on chemistry.

“I’ve told the girls we need to come out and have high energy and lots of engagement and communication,” Herrera said. “Let’s come out and be hyped.”

The other teams joining them in Austin are blue bloods.

Lovelady, 34-4-2, is ranked No. 3 and comes into the tournament on a 16-game winning streak. The Lions swept Groveton to advance to state.

Also at the state tourney, in the other semifinal will be No. 1 Crawford (30-2) and No. 4 Weimar (32-6).

Every Stamford player and coach has the same goal: Win it all. They know that it won’t be easy, but the Lady Bulldogs' experience and brutal schedule gives them a good shot to repeat as state champs.

“The best part of playing sports is playing in big games,” Herrera said. “The excitement is always intense. No matter what the result is, I’m extremely proud of these girls, and this team will go down in the history of Stamford.”

Hermleigh headed to state on winning streak

Hermleigh (15-6) comes into the state tournament playing its best softball.

The Lady Cardinals enter on a nine-game winning streak. They defeated Electra, Northside and Eula in the Class 1A playoffs to secure their place in Austin.

“We’re definitely a completely different team now than we were when the season started back in March,” Hermleigh coach Sammy Winters said. “To say we’re night and day better may be an understatement.”

Hermleigh finished second in District 4-1A, losing three times in the regular season to first-place Borden County. The Lady Cardinals’ third loss to the Lady Coyotes — a 13-3 defeat April 12 — is Hermleigh’s most recent loss.

In addition to facing Borden County three times, Hermleigh faced teams from higher classes, such as Hawley and Forsan. The Lady Cardinals defeated Hawley 7-6 but lost 7-6 to Forsan.

“I think our entire schedule has helped us prepare for state,” Winters said.

The Lady Cardinals began the postseason with a 5-0 win over Electra before winning back-to-back close games over Northside (5-2, 4-3).

Then, Hermleigh swept Eula in the regional final, defeating the Lady Pirates 7-6 in Game 1 and 13-6 in Game 2.

Winters believed the gritty series against Electra and Northside prepared his squad to defeat a good Eula team and punch its ticket to state.

“Those two teams were very solid,” the coach said. “I believe the Northside series is why we were able to defeat Eula.”

Hermleigh opens the state tournament against Chireno in the semifinals.

Chireno, 18-5, is ranked No. 2 in the Class 1A rankings. The Lady Owls took down Wells, Chester and Bloomburg en route to state.

The Lady Cardinals and Lady Owls will battle for a spot in the state title game at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Red & Charline McCombs Field on University of Texas’ campus.

Ahead of that game, Winters wants his team to take an underdog mentality.

“We’ve preached all week about being relaxed and enjoying the experience,” Winters said. “I told the girls we’re playing with house money. No one expected us to be here and so we’re just enjoying the moment with a plan to shock some people.

“We’re beyond excited about this opportunity.”

Carson Field is the area sports reporter for the Abilene Reporter-News. He covers primarily Big Country high school sports. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to reporternews.com.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Stamford, Hermleigh entering state tourneys with lofty goals