After breaking three school records, Socorro has gotten on a roll as the Lady Warriors have won four of their last five games and have a notable pep in their step as they prepare for District 3-3A softball action.

Second-year coach Tracy Romero has been taking a grin-and-bear it attitude and reminding her team that each game gives them more experience and more than anything Socorro needs experience.

Setting school records for the most runs scored in a game, largest margin of victory, and most runs scored in an inning was the start of Socorro’s roll, but Romero points to the Lady Warriors’ win against Sandia Prep as the fire starter.

“When we beat Sandia Prep, that’s when it (confidence) really hit it,” Romero said. They worked hard and took their losses well because they knew they needed work. They were really nervous. It’s a prep school, and they’re usually very good, and when they beat them, that was that was the kicker.”

Then came a second dose of confidence when Socorro faced McCurdy, a team that slipped by them 12-11 on March 27. The Lady Warriors returned the favor in a big way, dropping the Lady Bobcats 17-7.

With the remainder of the season holding 10 district games, it’s the perfect time for Socorro to surge. The tidal wave of wins also comes at the forefront of a 14-day break, with the Lady Warriors not playing again until April 20, when Socorro hosts Hot Springs in a doubleheader.

Romero will use that time to continue seasoning her team, but she admits that such a long break can be detrimental to a team’s timing.

To solve those kinds of dilemmas, Romero has an ace in the hole: She can reach out to local softball coaching legend Mike Appel—her father, for whom she played for three years when he started Socorro High School in 2001.

Appel helps Romero with her mental process and cheers her on when things haven’t been going well. He also offers batting drill tips.

“We have a bunch of weighted bats call thunder sticks. My dad was famous for these. They’re just the baby golf whiffle balls, and we use them with a Thunderstruck. We hit them hard and with different batting drills, and the girls’ hands are a lot better,” Romero said.

Better?
“We used to have slow hands coming to the plate, and the season, we have fast hands, and instead of working on developing fast hands, we’re working on more advanced and different batting drills,” Romero said.

The Lady Warriors are seasoning, but it seems like it’s taking forever to get a senior-laden team with one senior last year and three (Tristen Garcia, Jadah Paz, Andrea Ochoa) this year.

There are plenty of signs the Lady Warriors are maturing, and none more significant than the team’s mental approach, which starts with Romero getting advice from her father and passing to her daughter Abrianne (Socorro’s No.1) and her teammates.
Most days, nobody takes it on the chin harder than a starting pitcher who depends on her teammates to scoop up ground balls and catch those long-fly balls.

“Our newest thing is what we’ve been going over when mistakes are made, or something’s going bad, you tell yourself what you would tell a teammate. They’re working that positive mindset, and our big thing is holding yourself accountable,” Romero said.
The 2024 Lady Warriors roster includes Thalia Acosta, Abrianna Romero, Arianna Silva, Tatjana Castillo, Macayla Amaro, Jazmine Alvarado, Lilliana Maldonado, Alondra Apachito, Morgan Perkins, Tristen Garcia, Andrea Ochoa, Jisela Estrada, Jadah Paz and Jayden Jojola.

Russell Huffman, El Defensor Chieftain Asst. Editor