Tight-knit Shadow Ridge eager for return to postseason

Shadow Ridge’s softball program had grown accustomed to the Class 4A state tournament.

Three straight Sunset Region titles, three trips to state.

Then last year, nothing.

No state tournament, not even a berth in the Sunset playoffs. A sixth-place finish in the Northwest League left the Mustangs watching the postseason unfold without them.

“It served as motivation for me, and I think it did for the seniors, as well,” Shadow Ridge coach Cindy Winter said. “They were really hungry to get back.”

The Mustangs are back in the postseason as the Northwest’s No. 4 seed. Shadow Ridge (13-8) will open the double-elimination tournament at Southwest League champion Durango (21-10) at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. The tournament continues through Saturday.

“It’s a really good feeling. This is my last year, and I really wanted to make our name bigger,” said senior catcher Mary Jordan, one of two players on the roster who played for the 2009 region champions. Classmate Casey Velarde is the other.

“We’re closer this year,” Jordan said. “Two years ago when we went to state, that team had been together for a long time, and there was a lot of chemistry. We’re a lot closer this year, and I think we’re a lot stronger.”

Indeed, the Mustangs are more like a family than just a team, going so far as to refer to each other as cousins.

That bond has helped.

The Mustangs have plenty of talent, but not the individual name recognition of some of their Sunset rivals.

They don’t rely on a player or two to carry the load.

“The thing with this group is that they really are a team,” Winter said. “That’s something that’s been really nice to see develop. That’s something that has gotten us through the more challenging games.”

Shadow Ridge has had its moments of great pitching and defense, posting four shutouts and having four other games in which the opponent scored only once.

“They’re either all on their game or they’re all not on their game,” Winter said. “Hitting is contagious. Fielding is contagious.”

Hitting hasn’t been a problem, either.

Sophomore shortstop Krislyn Campos leads the team with a .652 average. Danielle Buecker, a sophomore outfielder, hits at a .585 clip, followed by Jordan at .516. Junior infielder Sabriya Brooks has a team-best four home runs.

But one thing is very different about this trip to the postseason.

The Mustangs, who were heavy favorites in their last two trips to the postseason, are a big underdog, competing against the likes of Durango, 2009 state champion Centennial and defending region champ Palo Verde.

“It’s actually kind of nice not having that pressure,” Winter said. “It’s fun being the underdog because nobody expects anything from you. We just have to be focused, and we have to have that desire.”