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The Class of 2012: The most decorated in Lady Wildcats' history
BY Kevin Hageland, khageland@starlocalnews.com
Losing is hard.
That's why so many of the Plano Senior softball players had tears streaming down their face following a regional quarterfinal defeat against Hebron.
Particularly the group of seniors Kat Batey, Katie Hart, Jill Holub, Erin Lowell, Ashley McDowell, Kristen Miles, Chelsea Sartor, Mackenzie Velasquez and Gabrielle Taper, who left Staley Middle School in Frisco knowing they wouldn't achieve their dream of a Class 5A State Championship.
"The parents of these seniors did such a great job because these girls are the whole package," said Cynthia Zea, Plano head coach. "I got to know them when they were big-eyed 14 year olds and I am so lucky to have gotten to spend the past four years with them."
All four years were spent on varsity by Batey, Miles and Velasquez, starting in 2009.
That season, Plano lost to Coppell in the area round, a playoff elimination trend that had been in place for several years as Plano had yet to advance past the second round.
"We had a tough matchup in the second round for a couple of years during that time," Zea said, "and those girls came in as freshman and wanted to set a bar of at least getting to the third round and take things to that next level."
That mission was accomplished in 2010.
And then some.
The bulk of this year's senior class was on varsity by the time they were sophomores, including Hart.
"I've been on varsity for three years and I got put into a leadership role pretty early," she said. "That might be a bit unusual, but I wouldn't have it any other way."
With a mix of veterans and newcomers, Plano stormed to the Region I Finals in 2010, including a second-round victory over Coppell along the way. Though the Lady Wildcats lost to Hebron in Game 3 of the regional finals, the team had set a new standard.
That standard wouldn't last long.
In 2011, Plano set program records for most overall wins (39) and most district wins (14).
"The girls were confident they could win every time they stepped on the field," Zea said, "because they could."
The Lady Wildcats went undefeated in 8-5A and continued their trend of vengeance in the playoffs by winning a third-round series over Hebron. The team then advanced to the Class 5A State Tournament for the first time in program history in dramatic fashion by putting up eight unanswered runs on Keller in the regional finals.
"The biggest thing with these girls is they really are like sisters," Zea said. "They don't all hang out all the time off the field, but you wouldn't know it on the field because they seem like best friends. They truly played as teammates and wanted everyone on the team to succeed.
"You are taught from when you are young that it's all for one and one for all, and I know that is a cliché for some, but they really did believe that and practiced it."
Plano would be edged by San Antonio O'Connor, 3-2, in the state semis, but with the bulk of its roster returning, the Lady Wildcats truly believed they could win state in 2012.
The momentum built during the season made the 4-2 loss to Hebron all the harder.
"This team was so close," Hart said. "That's what makes this so upsetting."
She wasn't the only one that felt that way.
"I wish we could have gone longer with this," McDowell said. "It's been amazing growing up with these girls and I'm just sad it has to end."
The tears continued last Sunday at Plano's team banquet, but not the type of tears one might think as Zea noted the ceremony being punctuated with tears of laughter as opposed to sadness.
"This is a celebration," she said, "and I didn't want the girls to walk away with any regrets."
There was plenty to celebrate as all nine seniors received money for college. Hart, Holub and Taper received academic scholarships, while Batey (Midwestern), Lowell (Incarnate Word), McDowell (Lamar), Miles (Louisiana Tech), Velasquez (Lehigh) and Sartor (UTD) all plan to play softball at the next level.
"Being a mom, I think about that first day at college when I dropped off my son and daughter," Zea said. "It feels like that every year when you have to say goodbye to the seniors. It's so tough with this group and you feel like it's not fair that they have to leave. But I'm so lucky I got to know these girls and I feel like we got to the point where we could finish each other's sentences."
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