State Ridge! How Mansfield Lake Ridge made softball history to the state tournament
The Mansfield Lake Ridge softball team came to school one day in September and had two words for the coaching staff.
State Ridge.
Head coach Bobbi Cruff was hesitant at first, but told her players if you say it, mean it.
They said it.
They meant it.
Lake Ridge (31-6) travels to the UIL state softball tournament for the first time and will play Deer Park (40-4) in the Class 6A semifinals at 7 p.m. Friday at McCombs Field in Austin.
Not only are the Eagles making program history, but they’re also the first softball team in the Mansfield school district to reach state.
“The players have bought in and that’s half the battle. I don’t think anybody thought we would be where we are right now,” said Cruff, who’s in her third year with Lake Ridge. “I was hesitant when they started saying ‘State Ridge,’ but we broke it out every game and I continued to tell them if you say it, mean it and here we are.”
MISD assistant athletic director Dawn Mailloux-Smith said the entire Mansfield community is cheering for Lake Ridge.
“This team is special. They have peaked at the right time and have grown throughout this season to earn this opportunity to play for a state championship. We are very proud of this team and coaching staff,” she said.
Lake Ridge extended its winning streak to 15 games after sweeping The Woodlands for the 6A Region 2 championship, 12-2 and 4-3.
The streak includes back-to-back wins over Waco Midway in April for the district title and No. 1 playoff seed.
“This playoff run has been amazing. Each win we go through shows us how much we can do as a team and it helps us gain confidence going forward into each round,” Lake Ridge junior center fielder Tia Warsop said. “This team works so well together on and off the field. Our chemistry is what makes us so good.”
The players
Warsop, who is an Oklahoma State commit, leads the team in average (.588), hits (77), stolen bases (56) and is tied for the team lead in runs scored (65).
Following Warsop in the lineup is Paris Johnson.
Johnson is hitting .557 with 73 hits, 15 doubles, 41 RBIs, 65 runs scored and 45 stolen bases.
But the production doesn’t stop there.
Brooklyn Morris has 57 hits, 21 doubles, seven triples and a team-high 56 RBIs. Kassidy Chance is hitting .504 with 57 hits, 15 doubles, six triples, 54 RBIs and 50 runs scored.
“After we beat Midway twice, everyone’s confidence skyrocketed and we became a better team,” said Morris, a senior.
Maggie Miller has 15 doubles, 35 RBIs and a team-high seven home runs.
Raigan Brannon and Gabi Wilson have also driven in at least 30 runs this season.
“We are incredibly honored to have made it this far into the tournament and it’s a surreal feeling to know that we have been where no one else has been before,” said Miller, a senior. “We’ve worked hard all year and I couldn’t have imagined a day greater than when I both graduated high school and punched my ticket to state with my fellow teammates.”
Morris is 14-5 from the circle with 60 strikeouts.
Freshman Avery Hoang is 17-1 with 116 strikeouts and a 0.62 ERA.
“Avery and I just do our thing on the mound because we know that we have one job when stepping in the circle and that’s to produce ground balls or easy outs,” Morris said. “We both love to pitch.
“It feels great because we’ve been underrated for a very long time.”
“We went from having four pitchers at the start of the season down to two, but Brooklyn and Avery took on the challenge,” Cruff added. “Avery kind of jumped in there and surprised us. We knew she could do it, but what she’s done at the varsity level...she had big shoes to fill. We’re under the radar and we like it that way.”
Playoff run
In the playoffs, the Eagles have beaten Bryan, Tyler Legacy, Harker Heights, Cypress Ranch and The Woodlands. Their biggest scare came in the second round against Legacy.
During the one-game playoff series, Lake Ridge had to rally back.
The Eagles ended up winning, 6-3.
Miller and Cruff both recall a moment during the game.
“Coach Cruff rallied us all together and we were able to pull out the win. After that game, I realized that there is no quit in this team,” Miller said. “I understood that we have the potential and the fight to go all the way even when the odds are against us.”
“Once we got past Legacy and Harker Heights we started to think, why not us. We have a chance like anybody else. We’re as good as anybody else,” Cruff said. “Once we got past the second and third rounds, we realized we could compete with the best of them.
“I knew we had the talent to get there. 100 percent. It still seems surreal today. It won’t seem real until we get there and get into the mix of things.”
This story was originally published June 2, 2022 at 9:10 AM.