GRAHAM — Amidst another deep postseason run, the Coahoma Bulldogettes brought out the offensive fireworks Saturday in their state semifinals clash against Grand Saline in the Class 3A Division II UIL Softball Playoffs.
The game began with a bang after senior center fielder Addi Hart drew a leadoff walk to set the table for sophomore shortstop Blakely Rodgers, who belted a no-doubt home run over the left-field fence to give the Bulldogettes a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
“I was looking for the pitch,” Rodgers said. “I didn’t chase — I wasn’t chasing — and I just let my hands go (to the ball). I knew that the Lord had me on his side, and I knew it was going (over the fence).”
Soon afterward, Hart stepped up to the plate again. The senior squared up a rise ball and swatted a three-run, game-winning home run to deep center field that cemented Coahoma’s 13-3 run-rule victory after five innings of dominance by the Bulldogettes.
“I had kind of been in a little slump for the past week, and so whenever I hit that, I was like, ‘Thank God,’” Hart said. “I knew God had me. I was so excited because I needed that to get out of my own head. I knew that it was gone (when it left my bat) and that my friends would be waiting for me at home plate.”
“Kudos to our girls. It was a rather long week with us having a Saturday game, a long week of preparation and I think by Wednesday they were ready to go,” Coahoma softball head coach Alexander Orosco said.
“But I mean it’s just old-fashioned hard work, you know, just rep after rep after rep, hitting after hit after hit. It was hot, it was humid, it was muggy, but they never complained. They just attacked it and it showed.”
Coahoma softball looking to make history
Now for the fifth consecutive season, Coahoma is preparing to return to the UIL Softball State Championships in Austin for the fifth straight year and the 15th time in school history — tied with Shiner for the most all-time UIL Softball State Tournament appearances.
For the Bulldogettes’ seniors — left fielder Bailey Arguello, catcher Mia Clemmer, Hart, first baseman Bree Lewis and catcher Brook Pike — this year’s trip to the UIL state title game represents a historic opportunity.
Coahoma’s seniors will have the chance to become the first graduating class of varsity starters to win four UIL softball state championships in a row. As a group, they have collectively won 25 playoff series and boast a combined 33-2 record in playoff games during their high school careers together.
“You cannot simulate the pressure (of a game) in practice, but I do my best to put them in pressure situations. I do my best to frustrate them,” Orosco said. “I do my best to make it seem like it’s everything against them, and they find a way to persevere because I tell them, ‘It’s you guys on the field; You have to find a way. And if you can find a way here, I know you can find a way in a game.’ I do my best to try to get in their heads, get under their skin, and make it hard, but kudos to them because they overcome it.”
The 2026 version of the Bulldogettes, though, is a different flavor of dominant from Coahoma’s softball state champions of the past.
Coahoma had a tall task when it came to finding a way to replace the historic production of former standout pitcher and power hitter Hannah Wells, who was recognized as the 2025 Gatorade National High School Softball Player of the Year.
The Bulldogettes never missed a beat, though.
Junior Kyndal Lee, sophomore Baylor Wright and freshman L Buchanan have given Coahoma more options and different styles in the circle that have complemented each other throughout a long season.
But the biggest difference between Coahoma’s recent state championship squads and the 2026 version of the Bulldogettes has been the depth of their dangerous lineup.
“It’s amazing, but with that comes preparation, and you have to mix the lineup up. We don’t just stick with one lineup, … but sometimes it’s hard to turn the lineup around, or flip it, or add girls or take girls away, but you know that’s the only way to have days like this and seasons like this,” Orosco said. “It’s never personal when we switch things around. It’s just that kids have cold and hot moments, and when a kid is hot, you leave them alone. But when a kid is cold, as a coach, you have to say, ‘Okay, kid, you know I got to give somebody else a chance,’ but that’s what helps us create depth, even when we’re supposed to have a down year.”
Coahoma softball returning to full strength
That’s despite significant injuries, too.
The Bulldogettes had to overcome a couple of significant early-season injuries to two of their top returning starters: Clemmer and senior outfielder Baylor Wright.
Clemmer — a Texas Longhorns softball commit — was limited to appearances in just three regular-season games due to injury, while Wright — a decorated pole vaulter for Coahoma track and field — missed the entirety of her senior softball season due to a leg injury from pole vaulting.
Despite those setbacks, Coahoma has bullied and battered most of the teams that it has faced this year thanks to one of the Lone Star State’s deepest and strongest lineups offensively.
There are 12 Bulldogettes’ hitters who have appeared in at least 10 games this season and can claim batting averages above .300. They also have seven players who have racked up 20 RBIs or more so far this year.
“It started off really slow,” Rodgers said. “But we were all confident enough to know that we all had each other’s back, and that we were going to push each other to our limits. … Leaning on (God) and his understanding is what got us through this.
“Whenever we have our gas on like we did today against (Grand Saline), I think it’s just really easy to run with that (momentum),” Hart said. “When one of us gets out, we just trust each other to keep going, go get the next ball and not step back.”
Coahoma softball has a strong lineup
Hart and Rodgers provide Coahoma with a knockout one-two punch at the top of its lineup.
Hart has posted a team-leading .624 batting average hitting out of the leadoff spot with 73 runs scored, 50 RBIs, 17 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs and a team-leading 31 stolen bases.
Rodgers, meanwhile, can boast a .522 average and has tallied 48 runs scored, 47 RBIs, 11 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs and 16 stolen bases in addition to being an elite defender in the middle of the Bulldogettes’ infield.
With the reintroduction of Clemmer’s big bat in the heart of their lineup, Coahoma has been able to ramp up its offensive production to a new level during the UIL playoffs.
The Bulldogettes have scored 10 runs or more in six of their eight postseason games and have tallied a 7-1 record during that stretch.
For comparison, Coahoma was averaging 13.6 runs per game throughout the regular season. But now the Bulldogettes are posting 14.3 runs per contest during the playoffs against tougher competition.
“We started this season off really badly, and we definitely worked our butts off,” Hart said. “We needed to trust each other and build our bond, and I think that’s what we did, and that’s why we are where we are right now.”
Coahoma (29-4) will look to become the first program in Texas high school softball history to win four consecutive state titles when the Bulldogettes take the field against the Santa Gertrudis Academy Lady Lions (36-3) in the 3A DII UIL Softball State Championship game at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 28, at the University of Texas’ Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin.
The Bulldogettes defeated Santa Gertrudis 4-2 when they last met on the softball diamond in the 2023 Class 3A UIL Softball State Championship game.
For Hart and her fellow seniors, a victory Thursday night would represent the culmination of spectacular high school careers and would help cement Coahoma as Texas’ most dominant diamond dynasty of the 2020s.
“It all started my freshman year for me — I’ve never had this feeling before,” Rodgers said. “Pushing and leaning on our freshmen and seniors and just holding each other accountable is what’s getting us to where we are.”
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Diamond Dynasty: Coahoma’s loaded lineup aims for historic 4th straight UIL state title
Reporting by Andrew McCulloch, Abilene Reporter-News / Abilene Reporter-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
