The Lady Bears have upgraded their facilities and after a successful first year for head coach Greg Horn, Bastrop’s softball team has the realistic expectation of making the playoffs.

“When I got here, I wanted to change the culture and set that expectation to being able to compete,” Horn said. “(Last year) we held the lead against every district team when we played them, with the exception of a 0-0 tie with Elgin. If we can get to the playoffs, it will be a step in the right direction.”

Bastrop is hoping to come out from the shadow of its neighbor to the north (Elgin).

District 16-4A expanded this season with the additions of Cedar Creek and Cedar Ridge, which is expected to contend for the district title.

There is still a high level of competition with Elgin, which has won three straight district titles, Hendrickson, Connally and Hutto.

While the playoffs are a goal of the Lady Bears, there is one match-up circled on the schedule the team cannot wait to play – a pair of dates with Elgin on March 13 at Elgin and April 13 in Bastrop.

“Our big goal is to beat Elgin,” said senior pitcher Lillian Raemsch. “As a team, we played our best game against them last year even though we lost 1-0. We have always had a really big rivalry with them, so a win would be huge.”

Horn said if his team could beat the Lady Cats it would be a huge step in changing the culture of the program.

“When I got here, all I heard was ‘you have to beat Elgin,’” he said. “A win over a program like that would really turn the heads of our community towards us.”

Raemsch pitched one of her best games in the 1-0 loss to Elgin, where there wasn’t an earned run scored in that game.

She kept the big bats of the Lady Cats silent, although former catcher Hillary Adams did almost jack one of Raemsch’s pitches over the left field fence.

A win over the Central Texas powerhouse would be nice for Bastrop, but it would just be a small part in the ultimate goal of reaching the postseason for the first time in six years.

After Hendrickson had to forfeit numerous games due to playing an ineligible player, Bastrop finished fifth in the district standings behind Hutto, just one win away from snapping that postseason drought.

Horn and Raemsch both said a trip to the playoffs would be the turning point for the culture of Bastrop softball.

“We are right there,” Raemsch said. “In the past, I think a lot of people looked at us like, ‘oh, it’s just Bastrop.’ Coach Horn came in and has kept us positive and keeps telling us that we can beat any team we play.”

Horn added, “Winning breeds winning. If we can make the playoffs it’s going to help getting the younger kids involved in our program and change the culture at the school.”

Bastrop players and coaches took the first step in changing the culture with an upgrade to the team’s facilities.

During the postseason, the team constructed a brick backdrop behind home plate with black netting and rebuilt the fence in the outfield with a maroon cover.

A new scoreboard will be delivered in the next few weeks, according to Horn, and there are plans to construct all brick dugouts.

Horn said all the work has been done by his players and parents with the help of donations from the community and fundraisers.

“It gives them a sense of pride,” Horn said. “The girls worked hard on that and it means something to them.”

The changes are also just a small step in what Raemsch said will help her and the senior class leave a legacy with Bastrop softball.

“My dad has always been behind me and my mother has just been awesome with supporting me in softball,” Raemsch said. “It would feel good to make them proud.”

Bastrop opens its softball season on Feb. 14 at home against Salado. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Bastrop pitcher Lillian Raemsch, seen in action during the 2011 season, hopes to leave her legacy on the Bastrop softball program this season with a trip to the postseason for the first time in six years. (Larry Overall/ File photo)

PRESEASON ALL-BASTROP COUNTY SOFTBALL TEAM
C: Randi Smith, Soph., Smithville
2011 Bastrop Co. Newcomer of the Year, .328 BA, .448 SLG%, 8 R, 5 RBIs, 3 3B.

1B: Becca Roe, Soph., Bastrop
2011 first-team All-Bastrop Co., .297 BA, .324 SLG%. 9 R, 6 RBIs, 1 2B, 7 3B.

2B: Bailey Alanis, Sr., Elgin
2011 Bastrop Co. batting champion, Gold Glove winner, .427 BA, 1.00 Fielding %; 14 R, 15 RBis, 6 2Bs, 3 3Bs, committed to ETBU.

SS: Kaci Olson, Sr., Elgin
2011 first-team All-Bastrop Co., .333 BA, .427 SLG%, 28 R, 10 RBIs, 5 2Bs, 3 3Bs, committed to St. Edwards.

3B: Shelbi Swenson, Sr., Elgin
2011 first-team All-Bastrop Co. .304 BA, .413 SLG%, 23 R, 27 RBIs, 5 2Bs, 1 HR, committed to Tyler JUCO.

OF: Morgan Schultz, Sr., Elgin
2011 first-team All-Bastrop Co., .319 BA, 12 Rs, 8 RBIs, 3 2Bs, 1 HR, .409 SLG%.

OF: Chelsea Everage, Sr., Elgin
2011 All-Bastrop Co. honorable mention, .242 BA, .253 SLG%, 14 Rs, 7 RBIs.

OF: Trina Deyo, Jr., Smithville
2011 first-team All-Bastrop Co., .342 BA, .405 OBP, .421 SLG%, 8 R, 3 2Bs, RBI.

P: Lillian Raemsch, Sr., Bastrop
2011 All-Bastrop Co. honorable mention, 7.56 ERA, 6 wins, 86 strikeouts, 140.7 innings pitched

Elgin 2B Bailey Alanis (file photo)

SCHEDULE
February
14    Salado    H    6:30 p.m.
16-18    Bastrop Tournament
21    Hutto*    A    7 p.m.
23    La Grange Tournament
24    Bryan-Rudder*    A    7 p.m.
25    La Grange Tournament
28    Hendrickson*    H    7 p.m.
March
2    Manor*    H    7 p.m.
6    Cedar Ridge*    A    7 p.m.
9    Connally*    H    7 p.m.
13    Elgin*    A    3 p.m.
20    Cedar Creek*    H    7 p.m.
23    Hutto*    H    7 p.m.
27    Hendrickson*    A    7 p.m.
30    Bryan-Rudder*    H    7 p.m.
April
3    Manor*    A    7 p.m.
5    Cedar Ridge*    H    7 p.m.
10    Connally*    A    7 p.m.
13    Elgin*    H    7 p.m.
20    Cedar Creek*    7 p.m.

C Maureen Byrd (file photo)

SCHEDULE
February
16    Bastrop Tournament
21    Taylor    A    7 p.m.
24    Hendrickson&    A    7 p.m.
28    Hutto*    H    7 p.m.
March
2    Bryan-Rudder*    H    7 p.m.
6    Manor*    A    7 p.m.
9    Cedar Ridge*    H    7 p.m.
12    Connally*    A    Noon
14    Elgin*    H    3 p.m.
20    Bastrop*    A    7 p.m.
23    Flatonia    A    TBA
29    Hutto*    A    7 p.m.
31    Hendrickson*    H    7 p.m.
April
3    Bryan-Rudder*    A    7 p.m.
5    Manor*    H    7 p.m.
10    Cedar Ridge*    A    7 p.m.
13    Connally*    H    7 p.m.
17    Elgin*    A    7 p.m.
20    Bastrop*    H    7 p.m.

File photo

SCHEDULE
February
14    Belton    A    7 p.m.
16-18    College Station Tournament
21    Hendrickson*    A    7 p.m.
23    Round Rock Tournament
24    Manor*    A    7 p.m.
25    Round Rock Tournament
28    Bryan-Rudder*    H    7 p.m.
March
1    Belton Tournament
2    Cedar Ridge*    H    7 p.m.
3    Belton Tournament
6    Connally*    A    7 p.m.
9    Ausitn High    H    6:30 p.m.
13    Bastrop*    H    3 p.m.
14    Cedar Creek*    A    3 p.m.
20    Hutto*    H    7 p.m.
23    Hendrickson*    H    7 p.m.
29    Bryan-Rudder*    A    7 p.m.
31    Manor*    H    7 p.m.
April
3    Cedar Ridge*    A    7 p.m.
5    Connally*    H    7 p.m.
10    Round Rock    A    TBA
13    Bastrop*    A    7 p.m.
17    Cedar Creek*    H    7 p.m.
20    Hutto*    A    7 p.m.

1B/P Alyssa Wilkins (file photo)

SCHEDULE
February
16-18    Bastrop Tournament
21    Lockhart    A    7 p.m.
23-25    Dripping Springs Tournament
28    Sealy    H    6:30 p.m.
March
1-3    Taylor Tournament
5    Austin High    A    7 p.m.
9    Luling    H    7 p.m.
20    Rockdale*    A    7 p.m.
24    Giddings*    H    1 p.m.
27    Navasota*    A    7 p.m.
30    La Grange*    H    7 p.m.
April
3    Caldwell*    H    7 p.m.
5    Rockdale*    H    7 p.m.
10    Giddings*    A    7 p.m.
13    Navasota*    H    7 p.m.
17    La Grange*    A    7 p.m.
20    Caldwell*    A    7 p.m.

C Randi Smith (file photo)

This is the final stand for five players on the Elgin softball team that were a part of two teams that reached the Little League World Series championship game.

The five seniors – Olson, Alyssa Wilkins, Shelbi Swenson, Bailey Alanis and Morgan Schultz – enter the season hoping to put a final stamp on their legacy with Elgin softball.

While it won’t be easy after the departure of junior pitcher Lauren Slatten and the graduation of ace Sarah Johnson, Alanis said that the pressure to succeed is greater than ever.

“We have always been under pressure to succeed,” she said. “We don’t have that dominant pitching we have had the last three years, so everyone is going to have to step up and score more.”

It is hard to put into words how close this group of seniors, which also includes outfielder Chelsea Everage and transfer Hailey Sewalson, really are and the pressure they have been under since they put on an Elgin softball uniform three years ago.

“We are more like a family because we’ve spent the last 12 years playing softball together,” Olson said. “We are unlike other groups of seniors because of how close we are. We are more than friends, we’re family. We’ve grown up together playing softball since we were five.”

Head coach Amanda Wolf said the pressure for this group of seniors is nothing new to them.

“They have had pressure coming from different places for years,” she said. “This year will be the year they find out how good they really are.”

Even though the pitching power the Lady Cats have brought to the table in the past is gone, Swenson said she thinks this team is still going to achieve everything they are expected to do.

“We’ll be fine,” she said. “We had a couple of surprises in the offseason, but we still have the defense we have had in the past and our hitting is just as good. Being seniors does put the pressure on us, but we are still focused and we work just as hard as we always have.”

Elgin’s seven seniors have a chance however to do something very rare in high school sports – complete the sweep of four district championships.

The Lady Cats have won three straight and are a favorite to win a fourth straight this year.

Wolf said with the competition getting better and the addition of Cedar Ridge, which pulled from talent from Class 5A powerhouse Stony Point, along with a nine-team district will make it a much greater challenge to get number four.

“Everyone is getting better and is playing year round,” Wolf said. “This will be one of our toughest years because all around, this district is really good.”

Alanis is the team’s returning leading defensive player and top hitter.

Elgin’s second baseman has consistently improved every year since starting as a freshman in the outfield.

After batting .344 as a freshman, Alanis had her best season as a junior, leading Bastrop County with a .427 batting average with 14 runs, 15 runs batted in and nine hits for extra bases. Defensively, Alanis played errorless softball in a move to second base.

She said the secret to her success is the chemistry of Elgin’s infield.

“We all click on the field and I think it has a lot to do with our chemistry off of it,” Alanis said.

Elgin also took a hit offensively with the graduation of slugger Hillary Adams, who now plays at Sam Houston State University, and outfielder Kelsey Markham.

That duo accounted for seven home runs and 40 RBIs between the two of them, but Swenson could fill the power hittler role easily.

The third baseman has not hit below .300 in her three years starting for the Lady Cats and has 73 RBIs in her career.

In her sophomore season, Swenson had a .456 batting average, 15 doubles, five triples and 30 runs, which gained her All-Bastrop County Player of the Year honors.

She has a career batting average of .369, with 73 RBIs, 48 doubles, 3 home runs and 73 runs.

“It’s going to be hard to top my sophomore year, but I keep a good outlook,” Swenson said.

Elgin has a short time to get ready for district play, which begins on Feb. 21 at Hendrickson, a mere seven days after the season opener.

Adams thought she had saved Elgin’s season with what looked like the final out of the inning.

But she was wrong.

Well, at least according to the home plate umpire during Game 2 of the Lady Cats’ Region II-4A quarterfinal playoff series in Waxahachie.

The umpire from the Ellis County Chapter of UIL officials called the runner safe at home, thus leading to a 1-0 victory by Hallsville in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Hallsville won Game 1 of the series 4-2 the previous day after a dismal offensive showing by Elgin, which finished the 2011 season 35-7 and was ranked No. 1 in Class 4A through most of the season.

Hallsville controlled Elgin’s big bats through much of the series, allowing two runs and 10 hits in the series.

But controversy loomed after the final play of Game 2 as the successful high school careers of Adams, pitcher Sarah Johnson and outfielder Kelsey Markham.

Head coach Amanda Wolf said after the game that she felt the throw to home plate made by Chelsea Everage to Adams was on the money and Adams made a clean tag at home plate.

Wolf said she tried to protest the call, but the umpires immediately left the field after the runner was called safe.

UIL rules state that once the officials leave the field, no further protests can be made and the decision of the game is final.

Elgin’s season, however, was deemed a successful one.

The Lady Cats had nine extra-base hits through five playoff games, including four home runs.

However, in the final game of the season with Hallsville, Elgin did not produce a single hit for extra-bases.

Pitcher Lauren Slatten went the full eight innings with five strikeouts, giving up five hits and one earned run.

Elgin’s lineup, however, only had four hits, with two coming from leading hitter Bailey Alanis, who was 2 for 4.

Going into the series with Hallsville, the Lady Cats were hitting .319 in the playoffs.

Adams had two home runs in the playoffs, including a grand slam in Game 1 of Elgin’s bi-district playoff series with Waxahachie.

The Lady Cats dominated District 16-4A and the pitching duo of Johnson and Slatten didn’t give up a single earned run in 12 district games.

Elgin had three players receive all-state honors by the Texas Sports Writers Association – Adams, Johnson and Slatten – and had three players selected to play in the Greater Austin Area All-Star Game in June.

Shortly after the 2010-11 school year ended, news broke of the departure of Slatten, who would have been a junior this season.

The Lady Cats should still be a contender in 2012 despite the losses of both of their pitchers, Adams and Markham.

Elgin will return Bailey Alanis, who led Bastrop County in hitting (.427) and fielding (1.00 fielding percentage), along with Shelbi Swenson, Kaci Olson, Everage, Alyssa Wilkins and Morgan Schultz.

The Lady Cats will also return Adrianna Hernandez and Abby Prinz, who saw playing time as freshmen last season.

Former Elgin catcher Hillary Adams appears to make a tag at home plate in a playoff game with Hallsville in Waxahachie. The player was called safe at home, which resulted in a 1-0 Hallsville win over the Lady Cats to end a promising season. (File photo)

In their first game, Bastrop defeated FHWS from Beaumont 13-12 on July 23 and then lost to El Campo 12-4 on July 24.

Facing elimination, Bastrop lost to Northside National (Houston) 14-2.

El Campo defeated Northside National 8-7 in the championship game and advanced to the Southwest Regional Tournament in Louisiana.

This was the first Little League team from Bastrop to ever reach a state tournament. However, Bastrop received an automatic berth to the state tournament because there were no other teams to compete in the district and sectional tournaments.

Courtesy photo/ The Bastrop Senior all-stars consisted of, front from left, Samm Walker, Katie Gorton, Rachel West, Nana Melendez and Sarah Waldron. Pictured in back, from left, are Ashley Murray, Tori Spakes, Audrey Byrd, Maureen Byrd, Maddie Parker, Daisy Padilla and Ashley Navarro.

Texas East lost to New Mexico in the consolation final 6-5 to end its season.

It was a heartbreaking loss as Texas East held a 5-3 lead going into the bottom of the sixth inning.

Texas East broke up a 3-3 tie in the top of the sixth inning when a pair of New Mexico errors put Makenzie Pace on third base and Staci Johns on first with one out.

Gabby Abreo gave Texas East a 5-3 lead with a single to score Pace and Johns. Fana Douglas and Carissa Jackson each grounded out to end the inning.

With the lead, Kristin Sewalson struck out New Mexico’s Taylor Jones to lead off the bottom half of the inning.

On the next at bat, Tabitha Johnson advanced to first on a fielder’s choice, but Sewalson got Katherine Sanchez to ground out to third base for the second out of the inning.

A wild pitch from Sewalson advanced Johnson to third base and a ball four put Andrea Howard on first.

Jessica McAllister hit a single and reached second base on the throw to home as Johnson scored to cut Texas East’s lead to one.

On what would be the final at bat, Ariana Strunk hit a single to score Howard and an error on the throw to home would allow McAllister to score to end the game.

New Mexico advanced to Tuesday’s championship against Texas West (Waco) for a chance to reach the Little League World Series.

After losing to New Mexico 2-0 in the opening round on July 28, Texas East defeated Arkansas (St. Francis) 16-2 and Louisiana (Evangeline) 10-8.