History-Making Lady Cats Eye More in 2018 Playoffs

SAN ANGELO, TX—The Central Lady Cat softball team made more history in 2018 with their second consecutive playoff berth, the first time that’s been done in school history.

In 2017 the Lady Cats made their first ever appearance in the Texas State Playoffs where they bowed out in the first round to their 2018 opponent South Grand Prairie. The Lady Cats were swept in the best-of-three series.

A lot has changed since last year and the home-nine are ready to continue making history in 2018.

“We’ve preached all year about doing what’s necessary to become one of those top tier teams,” first year head coach David Millsap said. “We’ve been waiting for the moment. We’ve prepared for it. We worked hard in the weight room. We worked hard on skills. We showed up [for the season] and it all came together.”

Millsap said the expectations for this team were higher in 2018.

“Our expectations are to not just be a middle-tier team anymore,” Millsap said. “We want to be one of those top-tier teams.”

The Lady Cats finished 2017 with a 16-12-2 record overall and a 9-5 mark in District 8-6A to put them in third place behind no. 17-ranked Belton and no. 20 Waco Midway.

“I think as the years go by, we start to mesh better and we have a stronger group each year,” said junior outfielder Kaleigh Ochinang. “Because of that, I think we’ll do really well in the playoffs this year.”

Behind freshman Ashton McMillan’s pitching, the Lady Cats held Midway to just one run back on April 17.  The loss turned out to be a moral victory and a good measuring stick for the Lady Cats.

“Our measuring stick has always been Belton and Midway,” Millsap said. “Midway has been a big measuring stick. The progression [was big] from the first game at home and going to their place, a 1-0 ballgame. We were happy in our huddle after that game while they were getting chewed out. We really stepped it up.”

The performance by McMillan showed her progression from being a “thrower to a pitcher,” according to Millsap.

“I’ll give a majority of the credit [from the Midway game] to Ashton,” Millsap said. “She threw the game of her life. That’s the crowning jewel as I described it. I think she had the mindset, at the high school level, that she was going to be able to strike out everybody because she throws the ball hard. She finally became a pitcher in that game.”

McMillan is not the only freshman to answer the call for the Lady Cats this season, as freshman Bailey Fulps has been just as dominant in the circle for Central.

“At first, I was really nervous,” Fulps said. “But I’ve been playing travel ball for a while, so I was able to get the hang of it and knew I was going to play a lot [of games]. There was pressure, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be because I’m with my friends. It’s just fun.”

The growth of the freshmen has been instrumental to Central’s success and fueled by upperclassmen leadership.

“The whole game is such a mental thing,” Millsap said. “You come into this as a freshman, I don’t care who you are, you’re going to be nervous. The juniors and seniors have kind of rallied behind [Ashton and Bailey]. They’ve said the right words to kind of calm those nerves. Although, you don’t ever really calm them.”

Millsap, who has coached other sports for Central High School, said this team is definitely the best team he’s coached.

The Lady Cats will play South Grand Prairie on the turf at Wells Field on the campus of Abilene Christian University, a Division I university, and the team is excited about that opportunity.

“We’re definitely excited about that,” Ochinang laughed. “To play at ACU will be pretty exciting, but we’re going to push through as far as our focus goes.”

The short, hour-and-a-half drive is a welcomed change for the Lady Cats. During district play the Lady Cats frequently made three-hour drives to play.

South Grand Prairie, on the other hand, did not.

“The turf excites us, but so does the location,” Millsap said. “We’re going to a bi-district game that’s an hour-and-a-half away, which translates to being able to get more fans up there. We’re not going to be the road-weary ones. [South Grand Prairie] will be the ones traveling. They’ve got to drive three to four hours to get there. We’re trying to take advantage of that. They’re not use to traveling. We are and our travel distance by far less than what we have to travel for this series. We want to grab that Friday game.”

South Grand Prairie and the Lady Cats match up well on paper, according to Millsap. The two teams both posted 16 wins this season. South Grand Prairie doesn’t tend to strike out batters which means the Lady Cats can put the ball in play.

“Hitting-wise, we match up well with them,” Millsap said. “Pitching-wise, we may be a little stronger than them. But you never totally trust the stats online. They’re not a big strikeout bunch, which means people are putting the ball in play. But they’re winning most of their games. That tells me they have a good defense. We’re going to have to hit some holes to get some base hits.”

A series after a season of single games could mean a new approach for a team. Millsap and his Lady Cats aren't changing their approach that has gotten them this far, though.

"No matter what the situation is, we've taken it one game at a time," Millsap said. "We're focused on Friday right now. We realize we're going to turn around and play Saturday. Hopefully only one game on Saturday. But we've always had the approach of one game at a time, one inning at a time, one pitch at a time." 

The Lady Cats open the best-of-three series at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 27. Game two will take place on Saturday, April 28, at 10 a.m. with the third game, if necessary, taking place at noon after game two.