There’s a difference going around the Katy softball field this year.

The pop of the catchers mitt seems louder, the smacks of the bat on the ball with more force, even the talks in the dugout have a more serious tone.

It underscores the way the Tigers are going about their business this year. It isn’t just another season for Katy, this is a team on a mission.

The Tigers still feel the sting of the way last season ended and it’s fueled them this year. They want to reach bigger goals, they want to show how talented this group of players is, but they know it comes by taking each day and each practice and game as seriously as they can.

Their approach has led to a tremendous start to the year. Katy is off to a 21-1-1 start and has been perfect in district play, going 6-0. That continued on Saturday, as the Tigers hosted Cinco Ranch and run ruled the Cougars 16-0 in four innings behind a strong effort at the plate and dominant game on the mound from Camryn Harrison.

“It’s insane how hungry everyone on this team is,” said senior center fielder Ashtyn Reichardt. “You see it every day in practice and in every game. We want this so bad and we are not going to let ourselves go out like that again.”

It’s showed in the Tigers play this year. Katy has outscored opponents 200-9 so far, dominating at the plate and in the field. In district play, Harrison has not allowed a single run through six games and she continued her dominance Saturday, pitching four innings and allowing just one hit while striking out 11 and walking none. But the pitchers biggest growth coming into this year may have been what she has done off the field. 

“She has grown into an absolutely tremendous leader,” said Katy head coach Kalum Haack. She is hungry and she’s leading the way for her teammates. You can see her put the team on her back at times. She’s on a mission.”

Katy started the game with their foot on the gas and never let up. Ella-Kate Smith gave the Tigers the lead in the first inning with a 3-run home run to left field and Lauryn Soeken kept things going by driving in a run on the single. Katy added five more in the second inning before Montgomery Henderson hit a 3-run home run in the third, coming up again in the fourth to make it 14-0 with an RBI single before Brooke Fechner ended the game with a 2-run single. 

“We just had to stay disciplined at the plate,” Harrison said. “Their pitchers struggled a bit today and so we couldn’t go swinging at things out of the zone even if we really wanted to hit. We made some mistakes but overall we did a good job waiting and swinging on pitches we could drive. It’s just understanding the situation and playing to it.”

The Tigers will have a small break with spring break coming up before they take on Seven Lakes and Taylor. The team has the option of going out during the break to use the cages and get different work in, but the group expects everyone to be out there. That’s one of the biggest things for this team, is their self discipline and willingness to work.

“The leadership of this group is what makes that happen,” Haack said. “You try to develop a culture from when these girls are freshman to where they will understand what it takes to be successful. All of this group has bought in and They’ve done a really good job of it. It makes my job as a coach easy.”