Royal fastpitch prepares for postseason
Royal has their eye on the state tournament according to head coach Lisa Lawrence.
REBECCA PETTINGILL/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
The knights are 13-4 as they head into the district tournament this weekend.
The Royal fastpitch team is a young team but holds a lot of talent and travel team experience, according to their coach, Lisa Lawrence.
ROYAL CITY — The Royal High School fastpitch team is moving into the postseason and reflecting on the season so far and what lies ahead.
“I am really excited,” said head coach Lisa Lawrence. “This is my first year coaching this team but I've been involved with volunteering in the middle school program. I know these girls well, so I'm excited to see the success we’ve had so far this season.”
The team holds a 13-4 record this season and No. 8 rank by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Rating Percentage Index.
Lawrence said that while she has a really young team — there is only one senior on the team — they have a strong foundation of travel players and all-around great athletes.
“It’s a pretty fun team between the experienced players and those that are just out working hard every day, grinding and learning,” Lawrence said. “And so, it's kind of fun to put the collection together and watch them perform.”
She said the team is really hard-working, aggressive and has a lot of speed on the base path.
Royal junior Madison Ortega Sanchez is a solid pitcher and the backbone to the team’s defense, Lawrence said.
Royal’s game against Warden on May 10 was a measuring tool for them. Lawrence said they struggled in the game at the plate and needed to clean up their defense in preparation for the postseason.
“We were really excited to get that game because that’s really good competition for us, preparing us for state and the type of competition we will see making it into the later brackets at state. I think Warden was good for us to see.” Lawrence said,
She also explained that the last couple of years with COVID-19 hindering or canceling the season has resulted in both their team and others not knowing what to expect out of each other. Lawrence said it has been a learning experience.
Royal will take on Naches Valley on May 19 at Royal High School at 4 p.m. in the District 5 tournament.
District 5 only sends three teams to state this year from the district tournament.
“We’re setting our sights high on state, but we’re taking it game-by-game and focusing on doing the best we can each game building for that success,” Lawrence said, “but we’ve got our sights set high for sure.”
Rebecca Pettingill can be reached at rpettingill@columbiabasinherald.com.
