Lentz & Hermes Earn Softball Awards

CORPUS CHRISTI - After leading their schools to deep playoff runs, Teresa Lentz of Calallen and Kevin Hermes of Banquete have been named the South Texas Winter Baseball Banquet High School Softball Coaches of the Year.
The 16th edition of the winter banquet, presented by Whataburger, is Thursday, January 30 at the Solomon P. Ortiz Center in Corpus Christi. Doors open at 6:30. Tickets, priced at $55, are on sale now at Whataburger Field Box Office and via phone at 361-561-HOOK (4665).

Lentz marched the Wildcats to Corpus Christi's first state tournament appearance by a Class 5A softball team. Calallen carved out a 35-6 record, rolling past postseason foes CC Veterans Memorial, Brownsville Veterans Memorial, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Memorial, Seguin, and District 29-5A rival Flour Bluff to reach Austin.
Calallen then snapped The Colony's 25-game win streak with a state semifinal triumph before falling to Angleton in the title game.
Senior shortstop Katherine Flores, junior pitcher Lizette Del Angel, and sophomore second baseman Aviana Gonzalez earned all-state recognition from the Texas Girls Coaches Association, while Gonzalez and freshman outfielder Raegan Tennill were named to the 5A UIL Softball State All-Tournament Team.
Flores finished the season with a .491 batting average, 43 runs scored, seven home runs, and 51 RBIs. Del Angel, who hurled a one-hitter in the state semifinal, posted a 22-2 record with four saves and a 1.33 ERA while striking out 175. She also hit .407 with 10 homers and 37 RBIs.
Lentz was named the Corpus Christi Caller-Times All-South Texas Softball Coach of the Year. The former Miller High School standout was also honored at last year's winter banquet as she led the 2018 Wildcats to the school's first regional semifinal appearance since 2005.
Hermes pushed the Bulldogs to the Class 3A regional finals, a first in school history. Despite a third-place finish in a stout 31-3A, Banquete pushed past Santa Rosa, Goliad, Bishop, and Schulenburg in the postseason. The Bulldogs, who owned a 26-12 record, were defeated by Hallettsville in the fourth round.
The school's athletic director and head football coach, Hermes had previously served as an assistant softball coach for the Bulldogs. After not settling on a replacement for Rey Ramirez, who retired following the 2018 season, Hermes stepped in to skipper the team.
Seniors Annabelle Pena, Jalyn Harvey, Victoria Rios, Lareina Rios, and Zoe Urrea all turned in batting averages at .400 or better. Pena added 30 runs scored, 23 extra-base hits, and 32 RBIs to pace the offensive production.