The Brownwood Lady Lions return five senior starters, and a handful of experienced underclassmen, from last year’s 10-14 softball squad that placed fourth in District 6-4A and made an appearance in the bi-district round of the playoffs.
The quest for head coach Cherita Munguia’s team to improve on last year’s performance officially begins at 7 p.m. Monday at Fredericksburg in the regular season opener.
“Fredericksburg is new to the schedule,” Munguia said. “I tried to load us up with some tougher teams this season. With the addition of Brock, our district didn’t get any easier and it’s not going to do us any good seeing pitching that isn’t of that caliber.”
Improving on last year’s performance at the plate is among the biggest keys for the Lady Lions in their effort to contend for a District 6-4A championship.
“We’ve got to hit the ball and 99 percent of that is their mentality,” Munguia said. “I’m excited to see these girls hit. That’s got to be a big thing this season. I think we were on the down slope for that last season. That’s going to be our main focus, putting the ball in play. When they ask me what’s wrong with their swing I tell them it’s between their ears. We have to go into the batter’s box saying the pitcher has to defend against me, not that I have to find a way to hit her.”
The five senior starters include a pair that are college bound in catcher Chloe Walls, who is headed to Lubbock Christian, and center fielder Jeniffer Romero, who is set to play for Schreiner. Also back are pitcher Tynlea Wilson, left fielder Jakayla Peek, and first baseman/outfielder Peyton Pena.
“Tynlea is such a positive voice and takes everyone under her wing and makes sure things are done to our standard,” Munguia said. “Chloe is a three-time district catcher of the year and has really been hitting the ball, Peyton is a true utility player for us that will see time at first base and the outfield, Jakayla Peek is our wall in left field, and Jeniffer Romero is our slapper and one of best center fielders I’ve ever seen.”
Also returning this season are middle infielders Karina Mata and Lila Mares, both sophomores, junior third baseman Carlee Burks, sophomore utility player Maitlyn Esquivel, and sophomore pitcher Kaydence Allen is back after missing last season with a knee injury.
“Maturity is going to help us out a lot,” Munguia said. “They’re excited to go out there and have fun and if we’re not having fun we’re not going to be successful. Being positive and enjoying the sport we love is going to be a huge thing for us this season.”
The Lady Lions’ first home regular season game will not occur until Feb. 20, the first day of the three-day Battle of the Bayou tournament – a first-time venture between Brownwood and Early.
“We do have the new tournament, we’re working with Early for the Battle on the Bayou, which will be in three locations – Brownwood, Early and the Massey Sports Complex,” Munguia said. “We’re excited to get this thing started. It’s the first tournament between the two of us and we know they’ll be some bumps along the way, but we’ve had a lot of coaches that are very interested and we hope to continue to grow the tournament in the future.”
The District 6-4A schedule begins March 18 when Glen Rose comes calling.
“I’ll say it every year, this district is going to be dog fight,” Munguia said. “Just look at last year when we finished fourth but we beat the district champion Graham. We’re going to have to go into every single game with the mentality that we can win no matter what somebody’s record is and what we’ve done against them in the past. We have to take care of business.”
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BROWNWOOD LADY LIONS SOFTBALL 2025 VARSITY SCHEDULE
| F10 | at Fredericksburg | 7 p.m. |
| F13-15 | at Stephenville tournament | TBA |
| F18 | at Coleman | 4:30 p.m. |
| F20-22 | Battle on the Bayou | TBA |
| F25 | San Angelo Central | 6:30 p.m. |
| F27-M1 | at Llano tournament | TBA |
| M4 | Llano | 5 p.m. |
| M7 | at Gatesville | 7 p.m. |
| M13 | at Merkel | 11 a.m. |
| M18 | Glen Rose* | 6:30 p.m. |
| M21 | at Mineral Wells* | 5 p.m. |
| M25 | at Stephenville* | 6:30 p.m. |
| M28 | Graham* | 6:30 p.m. |
| A1 | at Brock* | 6:30 p.m. |
| A4 | at Glen Rose* | 6:30 p.m. |
| A8 | Mineral Wells* | 6:30 p.m. |
| A11 | Stephenville* | 6:30 p.m. |
| A15 | at Graham* | 630 p.m. |
| A17 | Brock* | 6:30 p.m. |
* District 6-4A Game