AURORA – Foundations can be a deceptive at times. They can look like something so simple until a true structure is being built directly upon it.
In the last three years under Jason Romero, Palmer Ridge softball has been pouring its foundation. And after entering the Class 4A postseason as the No. 30 seed, this year could count as the frame of the building going up.
In some ways, the Bears were never supposed to be at the Aurora Sports Complex. They drubbed my Erie in regionals and had to beat Discovery Canyon, a team that had beaten them 21-5 earlier in the season, to get to state.
The bats that packed so much Thunder on Sept. 13 had dissipated, and the Bears won 4-0, punching their first ticket to state since the 2014 season.
“I always knew we had the ability, we just had to peak at the right time,” Romero said. “We had to make those mistakes and lose those games early in the year, just so we can learn from them.”
Those lessons led the Bears (17-11 overall) to Aurora to take on No. 1 Holy Family in the first round of the 4A softball tournament.
Freshman standout Izzy Arroyo set the tone as she blasted a solo home run in her first at-bat and led the Tigers (22-4) to an 11-1 win.
She was almost as good on the mound, but the Bears put together a little offense in the top of the 2nd. Shayna McHugh hit a hard ground ball and forced a throwing error which allowed Hayden Moler to score to cut the lead to 3-1. That one run could actually provide major significance for this team as it tackles the offseason to come back better in 2022.
“It shows them that we can hit a top pitcher like that,” Romero said. “We’re right there, at that level. A little more hard work and confidence building is what it comes down to.”
And that’s what they plan on doing moving forward. This is a team that has been building to a state tournament appearance for the last two years and finally broke through the barrier. But just getting to state isn’t enough for them.
“This year was a good learning experience for us,” junior pitcher Geneva German said. “We didn’t think we’d make it here, but here we are. We showed up, we played our best and it sets us up good for next year.”
The Bears lose a few impactful seniors such as McHugh and Rian Van Winkle. McHugh led the offense with a .581 batting average and she blasted three home runs. Van Winkle batted .415 and scored 25 runs.
The losses will hurt, but Romero has invested in building his program from the ground up and is confident that players will develop to the standard that the departing seniors have set for this year.
“We’re doing a heck of a job recruiting the halls and developing those players that aren’t necessarily club players,” Romero said. “I give a real tip of the cap to my staff. They work hard and they stay in the offseason, not asking for money or anything like that. It’s about the team.”
This team is still developing, but that this rate it wouldn’t be a surprise if trips to the state tournament became an annual occurance.