Marble Falls softball to lean on talent, experience

CAPTION: Freshman pitcher Brooklyn D’Amico is getting used to the speed on the varsity level. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

A new season of Marble Falls High School softball means mixing in some new players with some familiar favorites.

Head coach Alex Lozoya, who is entering his third season at the helm, said this year’s roster has the power at the plate and on the field, important elements for success.

Senior Kylie Roberts, who just finished her commitment to the basketball team, is a multi-year letterman and is the second baseman. Sophomore Jocelyn Suarez, who is starting her second season on the squad, is back at shortstop. And Cheyenne Thompson is at third base. All made big plays for the Lady Mustangs because of their quickness – the ability to get to the ball and immediately know where to go with it for the out.

A pair of freshmen will lead the defense. They are pitcher Brooklyn D’Amico and catcher Callie Phillips.

“Brooklyn is a capable pitcher who works hard. She goes hard and trains hard. I think she’s doing a great job,” Lozoya said. “Callie … is somebody who’s a big upgrade. Softball is their primary sport. They play outside of school. They know the vocabulary, the terminology.”

To help the learning curve, Lozoya said coaches aren’t holding back in practices.

“There’s a lot of little things that come with being on the varsity,” he said. “We try to simulate that in practice.”

While the freshmen get accustomed to the varsity level, the infielders and outfielders realize more balls may be coming their way, and Lozoya said they are ready to make plays.

“We’re going to get a chance to make more routine plays,” he said. “The youth is still there and some inexperience. They’re rebounding quickly.”

Realignment for softball has been as tough on Marble Falls as it has been for the other sports. Salado is known for making deep playoff runs and Taylor has been in the playoffs the last couple of years. Jarrell returns plenty from last year, too.

Last season, District 24-4A featured outstanding pitching. This is season is no different because of Lampasas senior Brooklyn Farmer, who will suit up for Tarleton State University next year, Georgetown Gateway senior Chloe Ellis, and Burnet senior Presley Crawford signed to play for Sul Ross University in the fall.

“Every game will be competitive,” Lozoya said. “It’ll be fun.”

As happy as Lozoya is to have so many returners, he also noted the program may get a few more athletes with the basketball season ending and some volleyball players, too. That pushes the number of softball players to more than 30. That means there’s a great chance the program will have a junior varsity in 2025.

“We’re trying to get a consistent JV,” he said. “It’s something that’s hard to get. It’s something that benefits all of us. Some JV (basketball players) will try out. We’ll see where they best fit. We told them don’t just think it’s a tryout for us. You’re also getting to try us out.”

He noted that he and assistant coach Hailey Wooten have committed to adding two more elements to the season.

“We want to show more fun and energy,” he said.

Marble Falls hosts Round Rock Tuesday, Feb. 11, with the junior varsity playing at 5 p.m. and the varsity at 7 p.m.

CAPTION: Sophomore Jocelyn Suarez (left) returns to play another season for head coach Alex Lozoya. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro