Justin Martinez | News Editor
Senior Katie Weinman walks up to the plate with only one objective in mind; bring home a run. The pitch comes blazing towards her and without the slightest hesitation, she makes contact and sends it flying into the outfield for another Johnson score.
The Johnson Jaguars softball team has been clicking on all cylinders as of late. With a 17-6 overall record (and a 7-1 district record), the team has put themselves in position for a deep run in the playoffs once again.
“We have really picked it up lately and it’s been a solid run,” Weinman said. “We’re playing as a team and taking each game one step at a time. That’s why we’ve been doing so well.”
Part of this five game win streak includes an impressive win against the rival Reagan Rattlers. As a rivalry, a game between the Jags and Rattlers always holds a higher significance in the eyes of the players.
“We won a good game against Reagan last week,” sophomore Kylie Rittman said. “They’re always a team that we want to beat badly and it was a good win for us. We played as a team and kept our eyes on the goal the whole game.”
The Jags’ only blemish in their district record came at the hands of the Churchill Chargers. And although the Jags fought hard, the Chargers came away with a 2-1 victory in 9 innings.
“It was a tough loss to take,” Rittman said. “The close games are the ones that you want to win the most. We made a few mistakes, but we learned from them and I think it made us better.”
With the Jags winning at ease as of late, the team is looking forward to a second chance at the Chargers April 4th in what will be a bit of a revenge game.
“I’m pretty confidant that we can beat them the next time around,” Senior Kari Weinman said. “Our hitting just wasn’t on that game but I know we can do better next time we play them.”
Before this revenge game, the Jags will face off against the Pflugerville Panthers on March 28th. The team has assured themselves that they will focus on the game rather than looking ahead to the Chargers rematch.
“It’s really tough to not look past the Panthers game because we really want to play Churchill again,” Katie Weinman said. “We just need to take the season one game at a time though and everything will work out the way it should.”
With the season coming to an end in April and the playoffs beginning in the near future, the Jags are picking up momentum at the perfect time of the season.
“We’re all super pumped for playoffs,” Kari Weinman said. “I feel like we can go farther than we ever have this year with the way we’ve been playing.”
For some players, this season is the last season that they’ll represent the Johnson Jaguars. It’s because of this that the team is as motivated as ever to make a run in the playoffs.
“With this being my last year at Johnson, I don’t want to end my high school career with any regrets,” Katie Weinman said. “It would mean the world to me if we made a deep run and went out with a bang.”
