Marble Falls softball welcomes campers of all ages, experience

CAPTION: Marble Falls High School softball head coach Alex Lozoya (left) hands out popsicles to his campers while taking a short break from the pitching and defense camp. Courtesy photo

An active June continues for the Marble Falls High School softball program.

Head coach Alex Lozoya and assistant coach Hailey Wooten conducted the pitching and defense camp last week and are gearing up for the hitting camp from 6-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, June 10-13, at Scearce Field on the high school campus. Cost is $75.

To say that Lozoya was encouraged by what he’s already witnessed is an understatement.

“We focused primarily on pitching and defense,” he said. “The majority of the kids signed up for both camps.”

The coach saw plenty from the campers that excite him. It’s clear they enjoyed the camp because of the amount of effort they put into the drills, he said. But more importantly, what he loved was how everyone wanted to be first in everything. That included being first to try a drill and being first to eat and finish a snack.

“There was a level of competitiveness,” he said. “I’d say, ‘Hey good job’ to one and ‘all right’ to another and would be asked, ‘Why did she get a ‘good job’ and I got an ‘all right?’ We tried to make different drills fun and competitive. They really compete in everything. Let’s bottle this up — that’s what we need as they get older.”

The coach noted the camp has a mix players with different skill levels.

“The fourth and fifth grade has kids who play for organizations,” he said. “I recognized some from their older brothers, who were at baseball camp.”

Many of the older players returned from last year and recalled much of the drills and lingo, which made the camp operate more efficiently.

“I’m glad we called drills and certain practices by certain names,” Lozoya said. “We added wrinkles here and there. Overall, it’s a very competitive group. We had siblings who are very competitive. We had some kids who were brand new who never played before.”

In addition, the camp drew Kindergarteners and first graders who came out for an hour on two of the days. Lozoya was especially happy to see them.

“Showing them the basics gave them a lot of excitement and joy and passion for the game,” he said. “Hopefully it grows.”

He noted one big challenge for high school students is the belief they must pick and choose one activity over another. He and Wooten are encouraging them to stay involved in as many as possible.

“There are so many other activities that can take up your time,” he said. “You have kids who have the big case of the funno. They’re not the same when they get to sophomore and junior year.”

In the mornings, the two coaches have been at Marble Falls Forge ’24, the athletic department’s strength and conditioning program that drew 115 athletes representing different sports, including softball.

Lozoya has been pleased with the Lady Mustangs who have participated and noted some of his lettermen are spending their summer playing select softball.

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