The Aubrey Lady Chaparrals’ softball team threw the first official pitch of the 2026 season, with a 15-0 home win over the Bland Lady Tigers on Feb. 12.
Led by new starting pitcher Lily Paul, the Lady Chaps’ defense smothered their opponent to 1 hit, while their offense made tracks around the base path, piling up the runs.
It was good to get off to an exciting start,” Aubrey head softball coach James Ramsey said. “We felt like the bats were popping tonight, and we did some good things. Our freshman pitcher, [Paul], came out and threw some quality innings and allowed no runs in three innings of work, so we’re excited about the start, but we definitely have a lot of things to work on and continue to get better.”
The Lady Chaps got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first inning when an error by a Lady Tiger fielder allowed Claire Rose to cross home plate, giving Aubrey a 1-0 lead.
Aubrey outfielder Sophia Jones added to Aubrey’s lead with a sacrifice fly to right field, bringing home Sophia Place and making the score 2-0.
The Lady Chaps offense took full flight with a 13-0 scoring run in the second inning, sparked by a line-drive single to right field hit by Aspen Leverett.
Aubrey batted their way through the entire lineup, and nearly all of the Lady Chaps found their way on base, including doubles from Raylin Meeks and Sophia Mulhern and a triple from Rose.
The scoring barrage ended with the Lady Chaps up 15-0, and the officials ended the game after the third inning based on the University Interscholastic League’s Fifteen-Run Rule, which states that if one team is 15 or more runs ahead of its opponent, the game shall be over.
Paul led Aubrey’s defense from the pitching circle, with 2 strikeouts, 1 hit and 0 runs in her first varsity start.
“I was just really excited to get to actually play with the team in a real game for the first time and get an idea of how it was going to feel for the rest of the season,” Paul said. “… Everyone on the team did really well, and this is going to be the start of a really good season for us.”
Senior second baseman Rose, who closed the game with a double play, highlighted the Lady Chaps’ chemistry in the win.
“We have a lot of communication and trust, and we play with a lot of energy too,” she said. “We have a lot of new plays, and we have to show them how to keep up the energy and stay positive. That’s how we play here, and we want to keep that tone.”
Despite the strong performance to open the year, Ramsey said he and his team understand they still have a lot of the season left ahead of them.
“With this group, we have a lot of inexperience, so we’re really just focused on taking things one game at a time,” he said. “… We really want the kids to be more relaxed and play with confidence, so we’re going to take notes on things that we need to improve, keep working and keep trying to get better.”
Aubrey followed their win over Bland with a 13-3 road loss to the Azle Lady Hornets on Tuesday night.
The 1-1 Lady Chaps will look to bounce back on the road Thursday-Saturday in a tournament hosted by the Wimberley Lady Texans.
