With wins against Prosper and Wylie, the softball team has secured their spot in the playoffs. The girls face off against the McKinney Lions at home tonight at 7 p.m. with playoff seeding on the line. The team currently sits in third place with the Lions in fourth, which means a loss could potentially shift the standings.

“If we win versus McKinney, we are locked into third place and it’s a done deal,” head coach Jeff Roberts said. “If we were to lose, we would then be in a tie for third though we have not discussed tiebreakers and it could be decided by another game or simply a coin flip. It truly doesn’t matter because we are in the playoffs from that aspect, but it does affect seeding.”

Though there still is many variables in play, Roberts said he knows Frisco Centennial, The Colony, and Frisco High, who is currently undefeated, are all possible first round playoff opposition. While the game does have significant implications, Roberts said the team is still going into it the same way they always have.

“McKinney is five and one in their last six games and have been playing very well,” Roberts said. “The team is well coached. I’ve known Alicia for a long time, but we aren’t doing anything different for this game. We are really in playoff mode and trying to prepare as we go forward in the season. I know they have two different pitchers and we will be playing the one we haven’t faced tonight, so that will be good to have a change as we go into playoffs.”

The softball team is currently on a three game win streak by beating both rival Prosper and first place Wylie in the last two games. With all players healthy and a series of victories, senior captain Jaclyn Willis said the team hopes to keep momentum rolling in tonight’s game.

“I think we are just excited and happy to be playing so well right now that our energy is just going to continue through this game,” Willis said. “We aren’t going to take the game lightly, but we are confident that we will be able to execute and win. Heading into tonight’s game we have been lifting and running a lot during practice so we can be in the best shape for both McKinney and playoffs.”

While the girls still have one district game left, Roberts said the focus of practices this week has been in preparation for playoff level competition and making sure the fundamentals of the game are well rehearsed. Junior captain JoJo McRae said that though this week has been tough work, the team is very excited about playoffs.

“We’ve been putting in extra time in the weight room and spending more time conditioning to make sure our bodies are ready for a long playoff run,” McRae said. “Everyone gets 14 district games, so it’s really rewarding to earn the 15th game to get into playoffs. After that it’s all about winning game after game to put us closer to our goal of 225.”

The game against McKinney tonight will also be Senior Night for the senior softball players as it’s the last home game of the season. The Weichel family will be hosting a pre game cookout with free hamburgers and hot dogs for those who will be attending either the softball or baseball games.