Brent Hall has no doubts the Houston High School softball team has the talent to win districts. The determining variable, Hall said, will be the Lady Tigers’ mental approach.
Houston struggled mightily down the stretch with three losses in five days to conclude the regular season. The defeats matched the team’s total from the previous 12 games and left the team searching for answers entering this week’s Class 2 District 3 Tournament at Mountain Grove High School.
“We have all the talent you could have to win a district and even go further,” Hall said. “But our mental state right now is not where it needs to be.”
Houston’s late-season woes began last Thursday with a potential preview of the district championship game against top-seeded Willow Springs. The Lady Tigers committed four errors in a sloppy 6-0 loss.
Houston (9-6) also lost 6-0 the following day at Newburg and completed the regular season with a 10-7 defeat to Bakersfield.
Hall said pressure situations –– like the matchup with Willow Springs –– have proven difficult for the Lady Tigers to handle.
“We get to certain points in the game when the situation gets bigger than what we can take mentally,” he said.
That will need to change if Houston, which last year earned the program’s first district victory, wants to capture a historic first district championship.
Because the bottom four seeds in the district have a combined 7-55 record, the Lady Tigers should get another shot at Willow Springs in the finals. The Lady Bears beat Houston 4-3 in last year’s semifinals en route to the district championship.
Hall said he looks forward to another shot at Willow Springs if the Lady Tigers win Thursday’s semifinal against the Gainesville-Plato winner.
“They’re nothing we can’t beat,” Hall said of Willow Springs. “If we can cut down our mistakes and it comes down to a matter of skills, I think we’re the better team. There’s not a doubt in my mind that we’re capable of doing this.”
All games at Mountain Grove
Wednesday’s scores
Mountain Grove 12, Liberty 11
Gainesville 10, Plato 0
Thursday’s games
(1) Willow Springs (11-6) vs. (4) Mountain Grove (3-15), 4:30 p.m.
(2) Houston (9-6) vs. (3) Gainesville (4-15), 6 p.m.
Friday’s game
Championship, 4:30 p.m.
Watch the Lady Tigers’ district games live online.