Senior Gabby Nichols

Bullard needs just two wins to reach to the UIL State Softball Tournament for the first time in program history.

The journey to reach this point has been one filled with adversity and perseverance, and the Lady Panthers have responded every step of the way.

On Aug. 14, 2019, Megan Dobrinksi, who was the Bullard head softball coach at the time, passed away after a battle with cancer.

Julie Murry was named as the Lady Panthers’ new head coach, and the team got off to a 13-3-5 start in 2020 before COVID-19 forced the season to come to an early end.

As the new school year had begun and a new season was approaching, more heartbreak hit the program.

In November, senior pitcher Ariel Matula, who had been a force inside the circle for the Lady Panthers since her freshman year, tore her ACL, ending her high school career.

Junior Emma Lambert, who was Bullard’s starting first baseman and the team’s RBI leader a season ago, was diagnosed with a life-altering medical condition, which ended her softball playing days.

On Jan. 14, Holly Fults — mother of Bullard sophomore Hadi Fults — also passed away after a battle with cancer.

“I would say that it has been quite a journey,” Murry said. “Our kids have navigated a lot of tough life situations outside of softball. And they’ve navigated a lot of tough softball situations. And regardless of what happened last year, I would say that God is always on time. And for whatever reason, it has always worked out the way that it has. We are super thankful to be where we are right now and still playing softball.”

(Story on Game 1 here)

Bullard started its season with two losses in its first three games, being shut out twice. Then the wins started piling up, and the Lady Panthers completed the regular season with a record of 22-4.

Bullard then opened the playoffs with a bang. In Game 1 of their bi-district series against Paris, the Lady Panthers collected 22 hits on the way to a 36-2 victory. Seniors Gabby Nichols and Claire Cannon led the way at the plate. Nichols was 5-for-7 and hit for the cycle with eight RBIs. Cannon was 4-for-5 with five RBIs.

Bullard went on to sweep the series against Paris and followed with sweeps of Mabank, Paris North Lamar and Van Alstyne to get to the Class 4A Region II finals against Aubrey (21-7).

“We’re super excited,” Cannon said. “We’ve always had a goal to go to state, but now that we’re even closer to it, it just makes it even more exciting. We’ve worked really hard, and it’s all paying off.”

Bullard (30-4) enters the series with a 20-game winning streak. The series will begin at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Grand Saline. Game 2 will be at 2 p.m. Friday. A third game will be played at 1 p.m. Saturday, if needed.

“It’s been pretty crazy,” Nichols said. “We’ve definitely had a lot of challenges. Our team has been through a lot. But as Coach Murry would say, we have legitimate tough girls. And we’ve really come together as a team.”

Nichols and Cannon comprise the middle infield for the Lady Panthers and are two of five players with batting averages above .400.

“Words are hard to come by for Gabby and Claire,” Murry said. “Obviously, they are the heart of our infield and have been for four years. They’re so competitive and so reliable in the game. They have a a maturity about them that speaks volumes for our team and our program, and our younger kids are able to look to them for composure in big moments.

“They provide leadership on and off the field, and we couldn’t be more proud of them for what they’ve done this year and for four years for Bullard softball.”

Junior Kaylee Paul leads the team at .563. Junior Berlyn Grossman is hitting .516. Fults is hitting .444 with a team-high eight home runs and 58 RBIs.

Fults and freshman Anistyn Foster have handled the pitching duties. Foster is 14-0 with an ERA of 1.59 and 171 strikeouts in 105.2 innings. Fults is 16-4 with an ERA of 1.80 and 126 strikeouts in 93 innings.

“I would say that they have really done a fantastic job of sharing responsibility and supporting each other,” Murry said. “I think they have been able to divide up some of the pressure because we have relied on both of them. And I think that has been good for them to be able to have each other’s back.”

The veteran infielders said it’s been fun to see the way the young pitchers have stepped up for the team.

“They’ve worked so hard, and we have full faith in them,” Cannon said. “They had big shoes to fill, but they have come in and done great in big-time situations.”

Other players on the Bullard roster are freshman Rylie Jo Garner, freshman Lanie May, junior Addison Hooker, freshman Matti Nix, junior Kenzie King, sophomore Teagan Graul, freshman Emery Downing and sophomore Kylie Pate. Assistant coaches are Marisa Ledkins and Kendell Redd.

TWITTER: @BrandonOSports