(Austin) – Seguin looks to shake up the 5A bracket of the UIL softball playoffs right out of the gates with a bi-district upset of No. 1 ranked Leander in a best-of-three series on Thursday and Friday.
The entire series will be played at Westlake High School in Austin. Game 1 is Thursday at 6 p.m. Game 2 is Friday at 5 p.m., with Game 3 immediately following if necessary.
The Matadors went 15-12 with a 10-6 district record to earn the No. 4 playoff seed in District 26-5A during the regular season. This is Seguin’s sixth consecutive playoff berth, and the 12th in 15 full seasons under 16-year head coach John Garcia.
Leander is 29-0 after a perfect 14-0 run to the District 25-5A championship. The Lions are ranked No. 1 in every state 5A poll, No. 1 nationally by Maxpreps, and No. 7 nationall in the USA Today/ NFCA poll.
Seguin’s pitching staff is comprised of two freshmen – the right-hander Kendall Hurt and the lefty Madyson Schultze. Hurt is 5-3 with a 3.38 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 70-1/3 innings. Schultze is 10-9 with a 3.51 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 79-2/3 innings.
The Matadors’ pitching and defense will be tested by a Leander lineup that enters Thursday with 40 home runs on the season. LSU signee Baylea Brandon has 18 of those to go with a .558 average and 61 RBIs. Marley Neises hit .446 with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs during the regular season, while Meagan Lee put up a team-high .556 average, 46 runs scored, and 29 stolen bases.
Seguin’s offensive leaders include junior shortstop Layla Salazar with a .419 average, .542 on-base percentage, and 25 runs scored, junior centerfielder Allie Kubena with 19 RBIs, and junior right fielder Allie Mize with 10 sacrifice bunts. Salazar and Mia Cevallos have each hit one home run.
The Matadors averaged 10.2 runs per game during the regular season. They look to have a productive series against Leander ace and Oklahoma commit S.J. Geurin, who enters Thursday with a 17-0 record, 0.69 ERA, and 218 strikeouts in 112 innings.
Every game of the Seguin – Leander series will air live on KWED 1580-AM and Seguintoday.com. Pre-game coverage starts at 5:50 p.m. on Thursday, 4:50 on Friday.