A resurgent season for the Pilot Point Lady Cats softball team is coming to a close with Pilot Point hosting rival Whitesboro for the final game Thursday.
Under first-year head coach Kylie Roos, the Lady Cats showed marked improvement, more than doubling their win total from last season and missing the playoffs by one spot.
“Every player on our team made improvements in [each] aspect of their game this season, and that was one of our main goals going into it,” Kylie said. “… Our second goal was to play the second round of our season better than we did the first—to play more innings and to be more competitive, and we did that with every single team that we played, so hats off to [our kids] for making the adjustments, for putting the work in and for being open-minded and trusting us as coaches to put them in the right situations that will make our team better. Everyone bought into that, and we saw great success this season as a result.”
The Lady Cats started the season on fire, winning six of their first seven games by a considerable margin and outscoring the opposition 67-15 in the six wins.
Fortunes changed for the Lady Cats after the hot start, with the team going on an eightgame losing streak during the middle portion of the schedule.
Things improved midway through the month of March when the Lady Cats went .500 over their next eight games, but struggles in early district games were enough to halt this season’s playoff hopes.
Despite the up-and-down season, catcher Scarlett Bush said the new coaching staff has brought positive changes to Pilot Point’s softball program.
“I love the work [the Roos] have put into this team, and I'm very grateful that they came, stepped in and took the opportunity to be our head coaches,” she said. “They’ve made a big impact, and I really appreciate what they've done not only for me but for everyone on the team.”
After a four-win season in 2024, Bush said Kylie and assistant coach Lexie Roos earned the team’s trust and were able to help the Lady Cats take major steps forward.
“At first, it was questionable because they were new coaches, and we didn't really know them that well, but it’s a drastic change from last year to this year, and I think it's all their help with us mentally, not only physically,” she said. “We’ll aim even higher next season.”
With her first season at the helm wrapping up, Kylie emphasized that the Lady Cats plan to go out swinging.
“If we apply the things we’ve been working on, we'll walk away feeling really good, regardless of what the scoreboard says,” she said. “That’s been a common theme for us this year, just redefi ning what winning looks like for us—giving our best effort, making adjustments as the game goes and being able to reset and pick each other up. If we can have that mentality on Thursday, then we'll feel really good about what we do.”
Pilot Point was scheduled to play Whitesboro at 5 p.m. Thursday for Future Bearcat Night. Results were not available by press time.
