McGregor softball leaving losing behind in the past with historic turnaround

MCGREGOR, Texas (KWTX) - After a long history of losing season after losing season, McGregor softball is pulling off one of the better turnarounds Central Texas has seen.

“It’s easily the most fun high school season I’ve ever had,” said senior Addy Todd. “It’s not just because we’re winning. We’re working together and we all genuinely feel for each other and love each other.”

The Bulldog’s 21-3 start to the season is one of the best in program history.

“McGregor was not known for being very good,” said junior Kaleigh Leighton. “We would just constantly lose. But this year, it’s been a big change.”

A huge part of the change comes from first-year head coach Estrella Guardiola. A Waco University High school grad, Guardiola says she never heard much about McGregor softball in her playing days.

“I’ll be honest, maybe I have a bad memory, ' said Guardiola. “But I don’t remember a thing about McGregor.”

The turnaround has shocked many Central Texans, but not coach Guardiola.

“I knew this was something that we could do from last year,” said Guardiola. “Being a part of it as an assistant and then being able to step up and take over the program and lead it to success. The girls are hungry, they’re very competitive and all they needed was a little bit of knowledge and cohesiveness.”

The biggest change Guardiola brought to the program was mental toughness.

“The mental part of the game, you can have the athleticism, but if you cannot compete and be willing to look for the next pitch and leave the last one in the past, this game is gonna eat you alive,” said Guardiola.

“There are some games where some of us will have a bad game and immediately we could get each other out of it and all of the sudden you’re laughing and then you start doing good,” said Todd.

The work is not done yet. As the Bulldogs wrap up district play, McGregor is poised for a deep playoff run.

“We can go all the way I feel,” said Todd. “We work together really well, we have a lot of good girls that have played. I think we could do anything.”

“I really think that our expectations are winning each pitch, winning each inning, winning each out, and knowing that we’re gonna get another chance,” said Guardiola. We’ll keep going, keep working, and be resilient.”