Entering its 17th straight playoff appearance last April, The Woodlands had a 17-13 record and finished third place in District 13-6A behind first place Oak Ridge and new-to-Class 6A ball Willis.

After a regular season that was probably considered below their standards, the Lady Highlanders went on a tear in the postseason.

Off three wins to close out the regular season, The Woodlands won its first seven playoff games as it reached the Region II-6A semifinals. The Lady Highlanders took the first of the three-game series against Bryan, but the Lady Vikings took two heartbreaking one-run games to advance.

Including a couple absurd scores in the bi-district round against an overwhelmed opponent, The Woodlands averaged 17.4 runs per game in its seven postseason wins.

“Last year’s team definitely peaked at the right time and kind of figured it out and got it going,” The Woodlands’ Tim Borths, who enters his sixth year as head coach, said. “Going into this year with a lot of those juniors were sophomores coming back. Our theme for this year is ‘Dominate’. They’re not going to surprise anybody. They are no longer the young ones. Now that they are juniors, a lot of them have two years of varsity experience under their belt. People know who they are.”

The Woodlands lost four seniors off that team, including a big star in Kayla Falterman, who was a starter and contributor since day one as a freshman. Last spring, she was awarded the NFCA Golden Shoe Award as the top high school player in the country. She was also the Montgomery County Co-Offensive Most Valuable Player She’s now a freshman at solid softball program in Louisiana-Lafayette.

“All four were big contributors to the team and we’re definitely going to miss their offensive production for sure,” Borths said.

The Woodlands has plenty of talent from the class of 2023.

The Woodlands returns junior twin sisters Alannah and Gabby Leach as leaders to its outfield. The pair verbally committed to Tennessee back in the fall. Their oldest sister Aubrey Leach was a two-time All-American for the Lady Vols a couple years back and then their next oldest sister Kelcy Leach recently transferred from Texas Tech to play at Tennessee.

Alannah Leach (.505/.538/.657, 41 RBIs) was second-team All-State by the Texas Sportswriters Association while Gabby Leach (.395 avg, two homers, 46 RBIs) and junior catcher Kiara Wiedenhaupt were honorable mention.

Also a pitcher, Gabby Leach was District 13-6A Utility Most Valuable Player last spring and Alannah Leach and Wiedenhaupt were first team All-District.

“Looking at the top of our lineup with Alannah, Gabby and Kiara — they are the stalwarts coming back and had a lot of offensive production,” Borths said. “We are expecting a lot out of them at the top of the lineup.”

Also returning contributors include juniors Megan Michalsky and Kaelyn Zusi (who both split time at first base) as well as junior Emma Landauer, who missed time last season with an arm injury.

In the circle, juniors Saylor Davis and Bri Dickson return after earning All-District honorable mention as sophomores.

Seniors Taylor Roberts (shortstop), Ashley Taylor (catcher/first base) and Shelby Moran (designated hitter) will be leaned upon for their leadership.

“We basically have a new infield,” Borths said. “Even though we have experience, we’re still young.”

The Woodlands is a proud program and the goals are as lofty as ever.

“Here at The Woodlands, our goal is to always win a district title and win a state title,” Borths said. “A lot of teams talk about that, but it’s a real possibility year in and year for our program. And quite frankly, it’s an expectation within our program.”

The Woodlands begins the season Feb. 17 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Bryan/College Station. The Woodlands then hosts a tournament Feb. 24-26 and travel to a tournament at Class 5A state champion Barbers Hill March 3-5.

District 13-6A with Oak Ridge, Willis, Grand Oaks, College Park and Conroe begins March 25 against the Lady War Eagles.

rtate@hcnonline.com

The Woodlands looks to continue off strong postseason run

Feb. 6, 2022