With the bases loaded and the game on the line, who else to be up to bat but Lainey Niederhofer? As she locks on the pitch and delivers a monstrous hit to left field, she sends the opposing team packing. 

Softball season is here with the team playing their district opener against New Caney on Tuesday at Shelley Field. 

With the Willis team being packed full of seniors, many are predicting the strength of this team. Six of the seven seniors are committed to playing on the collegiate level and are not going to let up this season. Mixed emotions are pouring through the team, but the thing that is certain is that this Wildkat Softball team is here to play ball.  

“I am positive this season will go very well,” senior Lainey Niederhofer said. “We have eight returning starters, and I think the whole team is shooting for first in the district. It’s a more than possible goal that we will get done, no matter what.”

Hard work pays off, and the softball team has been doing everything they can to prepare their mind’s and body’s for the grueling upcoming season.

“We have been preparing this off season with a lot of strength training and conditioning,” senior Lindsey Hues said. “But working out wasn’t the only thing we did. We came to the conclusion last season that team building was an integral part of winning, and this year we have participated in many bonding activities to grow our coordination and confidence.”

The season will be the season of many lasts for the seniors this year, as four of the team members have been playing almost their entire lives together. 

“Lauren, Lindsey, Lainey and I have all been playing together since we were eight years old,” senior Mazzlyn Heyer said. “We are sad that this year will be the end of an era, but we are still excited about the new chapter in our lives moving forward. After high school we are all going to different colleges, with the exception of Lauren and Lindsey. We have plans to meet up halfway throughout next year as a way to keep up with each other, but as for right now we are focused on winning and making this senior year a memorable one.”