As we enter spring, baseball and softball season are swinging in. Below, you will find all of the rankings, stats, star players, and everything you need to know to be Lovejoy’s biggest softball and baseball fans!
Rankings
Baseball’s preseason ranking is #10 in the state. After the incredible season they had last year with a 30-9 record and going to 5A state semifinals, they are seen as a top tier program. They are projected to be ranked first in the district before Walnut Grove Wildcats, Melissa Cardinals, and McKinney North Bulldogs.
Softball is preseason ranked #7 in Class 5A and #2 in the Dallas area according to the Dallas Morning News behind #1 in the state, Melissa Cardinals. During preseason they beat #4 in 5A, Aledo, 7-5. After placing second in the district last year, they are expected to go deep into playoffs this year with returning stand out players.
Star players
Many pitchers that are on successful teams are coming back like Logan Corley, Tyler Scarborough and Brett Hill. Corley has received recognition for his performance both on the mound, at the plate, and through his help to lead the team to the state championship game his sophomore year. Scarbrough hit 98 mph on the mound and struck out 12 batters against the preseason #4 ranked team in the country, Houston Memorial. Also during that game Lucas Smith hit a 2 run homerun that put the leopards up 2-0 propelling them to a victory.
Center fielder, Tatum Vitek, has bounced back from a torn ACL injury and has made an impressive performance during preseason and tournaments with a .913 fielding percentage. Returning “best pitching duo in the Dallas area ( Dallas Morning News)” Izzy Guarriello and Gisela Boitmann go back to the mound. Between the two of them they have already had 58 strike outs in pre-season and have both committed to D1 schools to continue their athletic careers on the collegiate field. In the second district game Torii Johannes had the game winning hit to lead the ladies leopards record for district 2-0.
Must watch games
The leopard boys have won the district championship title 4 years in a row and are going for fifth. With the target they have on our backs these teams will show up and show out. The Melissa game is April 8th and April 10th, Walnut Grove game is March 24th and the Mckinney North game is March 31.
A softball game you would not want to miss out on is Varsity at Melissa March 17 at 6:00. Melissa is the number one team in the District and the Leopard ladies are number two. The rivalry between these two teams has been going on since 2024 when the girls beat them 8-1. Since that game, Melissa went on a 49 game winning streak to receive the state championship title in 2025.
