Second Baptist coach attributes 2021 TAPPS Division II State Championship win to 'steady' team with 'great mindsets'

For the first time in its history, Houston Second Baptist School has a state championship in softball.

With just two seniors on the roster, the program made easy work of Faith Christian on the way to a 13-0 victory in the 2021 TAPPS Division II State Championship in Waco on May 15.

“Your #TAPPSsoftball Division II Girls State Champion is Second Baptist! Congratulations on a great season,” the TAPPSSoftball Twitter account tweeted.

Coach Brandy Mardis attributed the team’s success to a nice mix of the underclassmen’s youth and the seniors’ experience.

"Our team is young, but the underclassmen are steady," Mardis told Vype. "They have great mindsets. A lot of that comes through great leadership of our upperclassmen. Our two seniors, Rachel Riley and Leyla Ertan, were absolutely vital to building the team chemistry and leading this team. They also have a great group of juniors behind them learning and growing from their example."

Second Baptist’s postseason run was marked by shutouts of St. John Paul II and Lutheran South Academy.

Only Fort Bend Christian Academy kept things close with the Eagles in the first game of the TAPPS Final Four.

Riley, the team’s resident hurler, is bound for Penn in the fall after putting together a 15-5 record with 151 strikeouts and just 25 walks, as well as an impressive 2.21 ERA.