An amazing story of success

It was more or less supposed to be a “rebuilding year.”

The Houston High School softball team had lost eight seniors to graduation who were largely responsible for the significant success the Lady Tigers experienced in back-to-back seasons that culminated with district championships, so the version of the squad going into the 2024 season consisted mostly of players who had been around for a while, but hadn’t gotten much – if any – on-field experience. There just wasn’t much expectation surrounding the team, and there was no pressure to play at a championship level.

So much for that.

Rather than follow the assumed path, this year’s group of Lady Tigers went the other route and surprised a lot of people by setting a school record for single-season wins (19 as of last week), securing the outright South Central Association crown with an undefeated run in conference play and topping things off by winning the program’s third consecutive district championship.

In the process, the squad almost continuously produced abundant offensive output, and through last week had outscored the opposition by an astonishing margin of 252-68. But the Lady Tigers also played fantastic defense most of the time and got all the pitching they needed to beat people on a regular basis.

Basically, the combination was lethal at worst and unstoppable at best.

And when they were behind, these girls never stopped believing they would win. That was clearly evident during last week’s epic comeback victory over West County in the Class 2 District 3 championship game, when Houston trailed 3-2 with 2 outs and nobody on base in the bottom of the seventh inning and scored 2 runs to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

It was breathtaking.

The Lady Tigers won so many games by run-rule scores during the season (15-run lead after 3 innings, 10-run lead after 5 innings) that they literally cost themselves lots of at-bats. Oh well. It’s not like you’re going to tell them to hold off a bit to get in a few more swings. On game day, it’s go time for this bunch.

Anyway, I think it’s safe to say that the season as a whole represents an amazing story of a team’s togetherness and camaraderie, and its players’ shared belief in one another. Head coach Jim Moore likes to point out that even before the season began, he and his players knew that the public perception was one of uncertainty, but they had a hunch that things would go in their favor.

“On the very first day of practice,” he said, “we talked about how a lot of people out there were thinking that we might not be as competitive. I said, ‘the only people who believe what we can be are right here.’”

That’s dang cool.

And it’s worth mentioning that during Moore’s 7-year tenure, the HHS softball team has now won three district championships and three conference championships. Players ultimately determine what happens on the field, but I have no doubt that coaching can make a huge difference, and what’s gone on in the HHS softball program is a classic example.

Yes, when I wrote this there was still work to do in the state tournament. But the story is already incredible, and another win would simply add another chapter.

Doug Davison is a writer, photographer and newsroom assistant for the Houston Herald. Email: ddavison@houstonherald.com.

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