College softball notebook: OC enters the last stretch of regular season

Odessa College Pitcher Hayden Mile picked up the second innings against Midland College on Thursday at the Wrangler Softball Complex. Michael Bauur | Odessa American

After an important series sweep against Midland College, Odessa College Softball Team remains the first place in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference Standing.

Last week, Lady Wranglers won the second place against Lady Chaps on Thursday and Friday with a score of 6-4, 7-6, 8-3 and 11-3 last week.

Now, Odessa College will attract its attention to its last two weeks of the regular session as Lady Wranglers will face Howard College in a four game series this week and next week El Paso Community College.

Number 8-Ranking Lady Wranglers currently sit in WJCAC at a total of 35-4, 16–0.

Midland College is second at 37-8, 10-4.

“Well, number one, they are a very good ball club there,” said Dug Eastman, head coach of Odessa College. “They have a lot of talent and are really scary. They play for a very end … This is a different kind of conference this year where you are not going to get help from someone else. So we knew a lot that the four-market chain was deciding the conference for the conference for us.”

>> Laqir: Odessa College has not lost a game since 11-4 defeat at Temple College at home on 23 February.

Since then, Lady Wranglers has been on a 20-game winning line.

Eastman, however, is not much about the winning line.

“I also don’t think of the line,” said Eastman. “I think I would really like to be undefeated at the conference. But we step by step. I don’t think about Postsen yet. I think of our game on Friday and Saturday and just continue those victories. But it is a special team with a great group of young women.”

>> Reflection on the series: Jessie Pacheko of Odessa College won the Walkoff in Sports Do last Thursday against Lady Chaps.

While the first two games of the series were close, Lady Wranglers had no problem in the second part of the series against Midland College.

“We just talked about ourselves,” Pacheko said. “We went there into confidence. We knew what we were able to do. Our pitcher really threw it well. There was a fire in our defense.”

>> only one place: After spending the week at number 9 in the national rankings, Lady Wranglers stepped into only one place in this week’s NJCA Standing.

Some players, including Pacheko, were disappointed in the ranking of this week.

“I think when we came out the ranking, I think we should have been high,” Pacheko said. “And we feel that everyone is showing what we are really able to do and showing them why we should be high in those rankings.”

Odessa College will get another chance to prove the world of NJCAA, when they face Howard College, which starts with a doublehead at 1 pm on Friday at the Wrangler Softball Complex before finishing the series with another doublehead with another doublehead.