Although the two teams will not face each other in the UIL playoffs this year due to classification differences — Coldspring being a Large 3A school and Shepherd a Small 4A school — their rivalry was evident during Monday night’s scrimmage.
Coldspring Head Coach Austin Riddell expressed confidence in his pitching staff, stating, “Over the past few games, our pitching has been spot-on. I’m very confident in all the pitchers we have on our team. We, of course, have a few things to work on at the plate, but that just takes a little time and a lot of reps.”
With a deep roster of pitchers capable of starting any day of the week, Riddell has the luxury of flexibility, a significant advantage at the high school level.
Kaden Hubbard took the mound to start the game and faced some early trouble in the first inning, allowing two runs for the Pirates. However, he found his rhythm in the second inning, delivering a strong performance for the Trojans.
Riddell emphasized the importance of pitch count management, explaining, “This is a scrimmage, and we will be throwing a different pitcher every other inning to work on pitch count.” He stressed that properly managing arms throughout the season is crucial for long-term success.
Shepherd Head Coach Anthoney Triveno described his team as being in an experimental phase, saying, “We are still trying to figure out where it is best for everyone to play. It is not a rebuild year by any means; we are just testing the waters.”
Shepherd’s offense started strong, pushing two runs across in the first inning with solid plate appearances.
Looking ahead, Triveno is optimistic about the leadership and experience on his roster.
“We have two seniors who are going to lead our team this year, but we also have a house full of sophomores and juniors with plenty of experience on the field,” he said. “Many of the players have grown up playing together, which should help with team chemistry. I don’t foresee any issues with the team learning to play together since many of them have been teammates since Little League.”
By the end of the scrimmage, Coldspring had secured a 9-4 victory over Shepherd.
Shepherd
The Pirates lost to Cleveland 3-2 on Friday.
Girls
Coldspring
On Feb. 10, the Lady Trojans lost to Livingston 9-6 in the season opener.
Krissie Bennett went 3-3 with 3 RBIs and 2 homers to lead the offense. Trinity Rosales got the loss on the mound, giving up 12 hits while tossing 6 strikeouts.
Over the weekend, Coldspring went 5-1 in the West Fork Varsity Tournament.
On Thursday Coldspring lost to Fort Bend Hightower 5-2, with Jasper Williams going 2-for-2 at the plate. Then the Lady Trojans beat Galena Park 4-2, with Ashney Minor, Olivia Lee and Abby Murphy each contributing 2 hits. Rosales got the loss against Fort Bend, but pulled off the win over Galena.
On Friday, Coldspring downed MacArthur 9-5, and overpowered West Fork 15-5. Against MacArthur, Camry Barton led the offense with three hits, and against West Fork, Bennett, Williams, Barton and Lee each had 3 hits, and Bennett and Haylee Rosales each posted a homer.
Then on Saturday, Coldspring downed MacArthur 7-1, and then beat Dayton 5-2. Haylee Rosales led the offense in the first game with 3 hits and a homer, and in the second game, Williams had 3 hits, and along with Haylee Rosales, a homer.
Shepherd
The Lady Pirates stand undefeated in the early season with a 9-0 record.
On Feb. 11, the Lady Pirates downed Huntsville 9-6. Jayci Wilson led the offense with 3 hits, and both Wilson and Neveah Murphey each had a homer. Isabelle Hooper got the win, tossing 11 strikeouts.
Over the weekend, Shepherd downed all comers at the Madisonville tournament.
On Thursday, Shepherd beat Elkhart 8-0, as Hooper tossed 11 strikeouts while Murphey had 2 hits, including a 2-run triple. Then the team downed Rockdale 5-3 with a 5-run first inning, including an inside-the-park homer by Skyleigh Lagow.
On Friday, the Lady Pirates crushed Navasota 20-3, with Murphey posting 4 RBIs on 4 hits and Hooper tossing 8 strikeouts. Then the team posted an 11-7 win over Snook, with Graci Bellard smashing a 3-run homer and Maci Wilson posting 2 hits and a homer. Murphey added 2 hits.
