Five Lady Wildcats earn All-State softball recognition
PETER STEIN/NEWS-SUN
It was a heck of a run for the Lovington softball team, one that lasted all the way to the state championship round.
The Lady Wildcats battled their way out of the consolation bracket during this past spring’s state tournament, winning three games on Friday May 16 in Rio Rancho to earn a spot in that last round.
It wasn’t until the season’s final day on Saturday May 17 that the Lady Wildcats were defeated by Silver at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, bringing their run to an end.
This month came the rewards for a season well done. Four Lovington softball players were named First-Team All-State – senior first baseman Jocelynn Holguin; senior infielders Honey Morales and Zabri Rodriguez, and junior outfielder Zemarie Ellis. Senior pitcher Daphne Utajara was named Second-Team All-State.
“I’m really excited,” Lovington head softball coach Stephen McCraw said. “I think the most girls we ever had make all-state before was when we had two first team, two second team. This year we had four on first team alone and one on second team. The girls deserved it, they played hard all year.”
It was Holguin’s third all-state selection, which doesn’t surprise McCraw.
“She’s the best high school first baseman I’ve seen in the last 10 years,” McCraw said. “She doesn’t miss a ball, she has great range, she makes everyone else in the field look good. And she can hit the ball. I just wish she would realize how good she is. She’s been starting for me since the eighth grade. We didn’t have anybody better, and we won’t have anybody better next year.”
As for Morales, she made herself valuable by being versatile.
“She did some catching for us at the end of the year,” McCraw noted. “We lost our catcher, and (Morales) just moved in there and we didn’t miss a beat.”
Aside from Morales’ versatility, there’s her humility.
“She’s quiet,” McCraw said. “She doesn’t show off or anything, she just goes out there and does her job. I’m real happy for her that she earned (all-state). She’s been starting since she was an eighth grader too, played some short, played some third. Everything we wanted her to do she would do it.”
Rodriguez has been a valuable fielder – outfield and infield – and wielded a lethal bat.
“Zabri, she’s just a natural hitter,” McCraw said. “She was second team last year at outfielder; she moved to short this year. It was a new position for her but she did a great job. That girl just wants to play. She’ll play anywhere you ask her to and give you 100 percent. She had a great tournament.”
Did she ever. On that Friday in Rio Rancho, Rodriguez was integral in the Lady Wildcats getting the three victories they needed to survive to Saturday, turning in a good pitching effort in the first game against St. Pius X, before providing game-winning RBIs in the second and third games against Aztec and Artesia, respectively.
Six days earlier at Lovington High School, Ellis made sure that the Lady ’Cats headed to Rio Rancho in the winner’s bracket with her seventh-inning, three-run, walk-off homer against Los Alamos. She also plays one of softball’s toughest positions, center field.
“I think there are just some kids that are natural born to a certain position,” McCraw said, “and I think Zemarie’s a natural born center fielder. She was one of the best center fielders I’ve seen in the last 10 years. When the ball’s hit, she’s already on the move.”
And Ellis proved she could be clutch too.
“She got us in the winner’s bracket,” McCraw said. “And she’s back next year, so I’m really happy about that too.”
Utajara’s all-state selection was, in McCraw’s opinion, long overdue.
“I’ve been a little disappointed with the voting the last few years,” he said. “Last year she didn’t even make second team. I was a little disappointed she didn’t get first team this year. She’s first team in my book.”
Utajara certainly pitched like a first-teamer throughout her Lovington career, racking up over 500 strikeouts.
“It’s about time she got recognition from the coaches association,” McCraw said. “She’s been playing for me for five years, and she did a great job all five years for us. I’m really happy for her. For some reason she gets overlooked; I don’t know why, because she does a great job.”
Did any one Lady Wildcat stand out as the team’s most valuable player?
“I always tell them that probably changes from game to game depending on who does what,” McCraw said. “I couldn’t name a single one that was an MVP; all five of those girls were valuable to the team.”
Now four of them – Holguin, Morales, Rodriguez and Utajara – are moving on to play college softball. And McCraw will be tasked with trying to replace them along with Lovington’s other seniors.
“That’s going to be fun,” McCraw said. “But we do have some young players coming up. The eighth-grade class is pretty strong, they’re good, but it will be hard to replace these girls. Zemarie’s coming back, but we’ll be hunting and picking at other positions. I tell everybody that we had some good horses this year; next year they won’t be horses yet but we’ve got some pretty good ponies.”
