The state tournament experience didn’t quite turn out the way Kingwood hoped last spring and there’s a couple reasons for that.
The dream isn’t to fall in the Class 6A semifinal game on an everyday, basic high school field. The dream is to lift that state championship trophy in front of a capacity crowd on campus at the University of Texas’ Red & Charline McCombs Field.
You can’t control the rain and it’s hard to blame the University Interscholastic League for needing to keep a fluid schedule and move the game to the turf field of East View High School in nearby Georgetown last May.
“There was definitely a tone shift,” Kingwood’s electric senior shortstop Addyson Sheppard said last week. “And I think we all had this idea of what state was going to be and that might have changed. We still had the same goal and it just didn’t work out. But this year, we’re ready. Hopefully we can play at Texas, and if we don’t, we’re still going to go out there and do our best and try to win that game and make it to the state championship.”
Catcher Mia Gagliardi, a senior who provided a memory to last a lifetime for the Kingwood community when she walked off No. 1 Katy in the Region II championship the round before, is motivated to get back to state. Hopefully with sunny skies in the forecast this time (maybe hold off on the extreme heat) and play where the Longhorns play.
“We really want to play on that UT field,” Gagliardi said. “Even last year after we beat Katy, we’re so excited to get to Austin.”
Both four-year letterwinners, Sheppard (Stanford) and Gagliardi (Virginia Tech) will see the bright lights and big stadiums in the future while playing in the ACC. But no doubt, they are focused on bringing a winner to the Mustangs before they graduate.
“Just from Day 1, we’ve set expectations for ourselves and as a team together,” Gagliardi said. “Just seeing that growth from Year 1 and it taking us all the way to Austin (last year), was really amazing. We’ve done it. We’ve gotten there. Now we know how it works and we’re going to come back this time and finish.”
A former U.S. Olympian (1996 and 2000) and collegiate standout of the late 1990s, including two seasons at Texas, Kingwood head coach Christa Williams-Yates caught lightning in a bottle in her first year heading up the program as the Mustangs went 36-8, but fell to Waco Midway 9-3 in the state semifinals. They start the season ranked No. 4 in 6A by the Texas Girls Coaches Association.
“Last was such a great run, and we knew you don’t always get blessed with that,” Williams-Yates said in reflecting back. “But it was an exciting run, exciting time and we’re trying to build off that this year.”
Kingwood hadn’t been to state since 2013 and came in off a 31-8 season in 2023.
“I thought we had a really good shot,” Williams-Yates said looking back to a year ago at this time. “You just don’t know how it’s all going to come together. Every year is different. And this year, I kind of thought this would be a really good year, too, and I think it will be. You can have all the chips, but they’ve got to mesh.
“Hopefully, we can put it all together.”
The top four batters in the order are back from last year’s state team and four others who started the state game return.
“We have a lot of returners and we work really hard,” Sheppard, who’s also a member of the U-18 National Team, said. “This team knows how to work and we know how to rely on each other and trust each other. I think that’s all you really need to get to those big moments.”
Sheppard was the District 21-6A Most Valuable Player last year after slashing .496/.597/.983 with 11 homers and 44 RBIs.
Leilani Garcia, the senior second baseman, was the district’s Offensive MVP with team 11 homers, a team-high 46 RBIs while slashing .487/.569/.957.
Gagliardi slashed .415/.522/.858 with 10 homers and 43 RBIs.
Hunter Quentel, now a sophomore after a remarkable first season in high school, was a two-way threat. She was the district’s Pitcher of the Year with a 17-2 record, a 1.62 ERA with 166 strikeouts to 43 walks. At the plate, Quentel led the Mustangs with 12 homers, drove in 42 runs and slashed .463/.504/.884.
All four were Texas Girls Coaches Association All-State.
“Mia Gagliardi is great and then you’ve got Hunter, Addyson Sheppard, who’s one of the best in the business,” Williams-Yates, who was district Coach of the Year, said. “Of course, you’ve got Leilani (Garcia). I really feel good about our supporting cast as well. I feel like we’ve got a really good balance.”
Recent UT-Dallas commit McKenna Holm and San Jacinto College commit Abella Mata return to the outfield this spring after earning first-team All-District. Second-team All-District junior Lynsie Gilman and first-team All-District sophomore Kendall Yates also bring pitching experience and solid bats to the plate, respectively.
“We have a lot of returners and we work really hard,” Sheppard said. “This team knows how to work and we know how to rely on each other and trust each other. I think that’s all you really need to get to those big moments.”
A highly-publicized fact about the Mustangs last year was their home-run hitting prowess. The team totaled a robust 58 dingers with four players in double figures and four more contributing to the total.
“We’re already laughing about it because we’ve been hitting a lot of homers in scrimmages,” Sheppard said. “It’s really just putting the ball in play and doing your job in every moment. It’s either the walks, getting hit by a pitch, a line drive, a bunt….anything. The home runs come, but it really comes down to who’s getting on base and it’s a total team effort.”
After winning the district title with a perfect 14-0 record, Kingwood swept Sam Rayburn, Clear Springs, Alvin, Houston Heights, and Katy in the playoffs.
In Game 1 against the Tigers, who were 39-1-1 at the time and top-ranked in the country (MaxPreps), Gagliardi unleashed a walk-off three-run homer for the 6-3 win. The next night, Gagliardi homered again – as did Garcia – in a 7-6 win to advance to state.
“That whole series was really fun,” Gagliardi said. “All the energy we had as a team, we came together and just getting to advance to state for the first time in a long time was really exciting for us.”
There will be pressure there to return to state, and there is no easy path through Region II. With the new postseason division split, that could even the playing field come playoff time.
“There’s some differences now,” Williams-Yates said. “The bullseye is on your back and so (we’re) prepping the mindset to be a little different. You’re not the chaser. You’re the chased. We’re just trying to build on it, but they also have to build a new identity. This is a totally different season, so it’s about trying to find out who we are now with some key pieces that we have left.”
Said Gagliardi, “We just all buy into the process together and everyone just owns their role. We just push each other and hold each other accountable. Just building the team throughout the season to get all the way to state.”
Kingwood’s regular season begins Tuesday at home against Spring. The Mustangs have the NFCA Leadoff Classic in College Station the following weekend, as well as hosting the Humble ISD Tournament in mid-February and then the Barbers Hill Tournament at the end of the month.
District 23-6A was reshuffled some. Kingwood will once again play in-district rivals Atascocita, Humble, Summer Creek as well as North Shore and C.E. King. Goose Creek Memorial and Channelview are new to the mix.
“They’ve always had a great attitude and a great work ethic,” Williams-Yates said. “I’ve never had to question that. That’s nice and as a coach, I don’t have to worry about that problem. But I think time will tell. I think when we start playing real games, we’re going to have our adversity and hopefully with the older team we have, it’ll help guide us through that.”
When it comes down to it, Sheppard said she is just proud to represent her school and community on the field for one last season.
“It’s really an amazing group of kids in school,” Sheppard said. “And we love Kingwood so much. I think it’s just I’m really grateful that I’ve been able to play with these amazing people. I look around sometimes and I’m just so happy that I’ve been in this moment and that God put me here and I’m able to have this experience.”
Seen here are Kingwood softball players (from left) Leilani Garcia, Hunter Quentel, Mia Gagliardi, Abella Mata and Addyson Sheppard. (Chris Zorzi/SportCast Media)
