The Blanco All-Star Major Girl’s road trip has finally come to an end. On Monday night, July 21st, the team played in Waco at the Southwestern Regional Little League Complex on Reicher Field in the Texas West State Championship game against Waco Midway. The Midway team has been a major girl’s softball powerhouse for the past 25 years, winning 24 State titles and 11 World Series Championships. The Blanco All-Stars beat Fabens, a team from the El Paso area, and East Brownsville, losing only to the Waco Midway team twice, which gave Blanco the 2nd place title in the State tournament.

These girls represented Blanco very well with excellent sportsmanship throughout all of the tournaments. They were actually complemented on their good sportsmanship by the state tournament director in Waco after the championship game. Leslie McClinton was presented the Defensive MVP softball because of her incredible display of defensive skills as a short stop throughout the all-star tournaments. Callie Culton and Kelsey Schwind were awarded the Offensive MVP softballs for leading the team in hitting. Callie led the team with a batting average of .571 with an on base % of .725 and 16 RBI’s. Kelsey Schwind had a batting average of .548 with an on base % of .684 and 20 RBI’s. Meaghen Seales lead the team in pitching with a 4-1 record. She had 30 strikeouts throughout the 3 tournaments. In her last game against East Brownsville, she had 9 strikeouts helping the team win 6-5 and advance into the championship game against Waco Midway. Also pitching for the team were Callie Culton with a 4-2 record and Taylor Guinn with a 1-1 record.

In the District tournament held in Fredericksburg, the girls faced Wimberley on June 28th in the first game. With bats blazing, Blanco won 11-0. Katy Petri, Leslie, Callie, Kelsey, and Meaghen combined for ten RBI’s. Next, Blanco defeated Kingsland 10-0. In this game, Selene Serrano slammed in 2 RBI’s. The team then recorded a victory over Burnet, 6-0. Mackenzie Johnson laid down an awesome bunt for a RBI. Burnet then beat Fredericksburg, and rallied a rematch victory against Blamco, 9-10. With Blanco and Burnet even with one loss each, the championship game proved to be a sweet win for Blanco, 12-8. Once again, the teams bats were on fire with RBI’s knocked in by six batters including Deanna Sevilla and Taylor.

The Sectional tournament was also held in Fredericksburg, beginning on July 11 with Cotulla defeating Del Rio. The next night Blanco suffered a loss to Cotulla, 4-5. In the next game, with Callie leading the team on the mound, the girls posted a huge win over Del Rio, 14-1. Angel Williams pounded out two base hits and a RBI. Now the Blanco girls had to beat Cotulla twice to win the tournament. And that is exactly what they did! First, the team made a strong defensive stand, winning 5-4. Then in the Sectional Championship finals, the girls again defeated Cotulla, 15-5, using aggressive hitting and base running to clinch the win.

On July 17th, the team drove in a “caravan” to Waco in vehicles covered with spirit messages like “State Bound!” The next morning, Blanco defeated Fabens 16-2. Then the team met the Midway Waco powerhouse, losing 0-15. The next afternoon, the Blanco girls needed a win over East Brownsville to place themselves in the championship finals. The Brownsville batters struggled with Meaghen’s “change ups”. The game was tied and Deanna slid in to home for the winning run. Blanco was then defeated by Midway Waco, 0-10, in the final game.

These girls and their families have given up a lot of their summer vacation time for practices and games, but it was all worth it to finally get to go to Waco and actually be the first Blanco girl’s softball team to ever compete at this level. The girls had the opportunity to room together in the same hotel where they got to relax, French-braid hair, swim, hang out, and play late night Bunco. Comfort Inn and Suites may never be the same!

Thanks to the support of our Blanco Little League, President Bill Savarino and the board members. Special thanks go to the team’s sponsors, Tilson Homes, NAPA Auto Parts, CarQuest, and Ruiz Construction. We would also like to thank all of the sponsors, coaches, families, and fans for their continous support. This was a fun and exciting ride for these girls as well as their families.