ABILENE—The softball season in the Abilene ISD began last week. Abilene High is determined to continue its recent success, and Cooper, under the new head coach Kaegan Jimenez, is resolute in its goal to return to the playoffs after a three-year absence.
In the season’s early stages, Abilene High is 3-2, and Cooper is 3-3 after the teams played in last weekend’s National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Texas High School Leadoff Classic in College Station. The Lady Eagles and Lady Cougars joined 100 other teams in the field, including some of the best in the state. Abilene High was 2-2 in the tournament with wins over Tomball and Little Elm, while Cooper was 2-3 with wins over Northbrook (5-0) and Spring Woods (19-0).
The teams will host the AISD Icebreaker Tournament at their on-campus this weekend. Abilene High will play Elgin and Snyder on Thursday, Amarillo Caprock and Midland Christan on Friday, and Jim Ned on Saturday. Cooper will play Midland Christian and Amarillo Caprock on Thursday, Monahans and Elgin on Friday, and Snyder on Saturday.
The new District 4-5A includes Wylie, Wichita Falls Legacy, and Wichita Falls Memorial. Five teams will vie for four playoff spots, and the two Wichita Falls schools are an unknown quantity. Abilene High and Wylie should be included in the district schedule—which begins on Tuesday, March 18, when Cooper plays at Wylie and Abilene High hosts Memorial—and are favored to take two of the playoff spots based on history and returning players.
Cooper will be in the mix for one of the other two spots. With a solid nucleus of returning players and the addition of Jimenez, who has won 69 games in just three seasons as a head coach, Cooper will be in the mix for one of the other two spots. She coached at Whitehouse the previous three seasons, leading her team to three straight playoff appearances and a district title in 2024.
Here’s a look at Abilene High and Cooper heading into the 2025 season:
ABILENE HIGH
After pitcher Diana Silva graduated last May, the Lady Eagles lost one of the best pitchers in program history. She threw multiple no-hitters and a perfect game last year on her way to District 4-5A Pitcher of the Year honors in 2024. But even with her loss, Abilene High's fourth-year head coach, Jenna Aguirre, is confident in the players tasked with replacing her in the circle.
“Diana was a great pitcher for us,” Aguirre said, “but Avah Reyes has stepped up and earned the role of ‘ace’ for our team in 2025. She’s handled everything we’ve given her and has dealt with it well. We’ve got three other players who can throw the ball, and we’ll count on them throughout the year. We have depth in the circle – talented depth. Our first-year class is extremely talented and has picked up right where we left off.”
The Lady Eagles were 25-15-1 overall and 8-4 (fourth) in District 4-5A and went four rounds deep in the playoffs before bowing out in the Region I-5A semifinals after losing a series against Burleson Centennial, 2-0. Even with the losses of Silva, shortstop Amyah Starts, Marissa Cardenas, and others, Aguirre is confident her team will be in the postseason for the ninth straight year going back to 2016 (no playoffs in 2020 because of COVID).
Leading the 2025 squad are seniors Kinzley Cantu (shortstop), Makayla Gutierrez (catcher), and Germanie Williams (outfield), as well as juniors Reyes (pitcher), Mariah Estrada (third base), and Andra Stars (outfield). Three first-year players also figure to make an impact: righthanded pitcher/utility player Kaylee Gonzales, outfielder Jazlynn Johnson-Burns, and righthanded pitcher/utility player Izabella Rocha.
“Our kids come to Abilene High knowing the expectation is to win a district championship and get into the playoffs,” Aguirre said. “They work hard year-round to perfect their craft and answer the pressure. The kids who come into our program do so ready to meet the expectations of a successful program.”
COOPER
Jimenez takes over a program that last reached the playoffs and won a playoff series in 2021 and last won a district championship in 1994. But what she found when she arrived from Whitehouse was a team hungry to get back into the fight in 2025.
“Everyone on the roster is bought in and is working toward having a successful season,” Jimenez said. “They worked hard in the offseason, and they’re an enjoyable group to be around, and they treat each other very well. We have goals that we have set (win more games than 2024 and reach the playoffs), and I can’t wait to see how everything turns out.”
The Lady Cougars will count on returning players: senior infielders Lynette Aguilar, Gabby DeLeon, Maddie Fry, Emma Ruiz, and sophomore infielder Payton Ellis. More than the players on the field, Jimenez is counting on their belief to turn the program around and get back into the playoffs.
“Winning is contagious, but I’m a huge believer that you must win your locker room first,” she said. “Establishing the culture is the foundation of creating successful programs. Getting student-athletes to believe and understand we need each other to win and how to be great teammates is vital.”
And while she knows she’s taking over a program that has struggled recently, Jimenez refuses to be bound by those past results. Instead, she is looking forward to success this season and beyond.
“Every year and every team is different,” she said. “It’s the job of the head coach and the other coaches to figure out each team, figure out what that particular team does well and coach to that. If we can do that and capitalize on our assets each year, we’ll get this program turned around quickly.”
2025 ABILENE HIGH SOFTBALL PREVIEW
Last season: 25-15-1 (8-4, 4th in District 4-5A)
Head Coach: Jenna Aguirre (9th season overall / 4th season at Abilene High)
Coach Aguirre's record: 128-95-1 career / 69-35-1 at Abilene High
Last district championship: 2019
Last playoff appearance: 2024 (def. Amarillo, 2-1, in best-of-three bi-district series; def. El Paso Ysleta, 2-0, in area round; def. Abilene Wylie, 2-0, in Region I-5A quarterfinals; lost to Burleson Centennial, 2-0, in Region I-5A semifinals)
Last playoff series win: 2024 (def. Abilene Wylie, 2-0, in a best-of-three Region I-5A quarterfinal series)
Top Returners (name, classification, position): Kinzley Cantu, sr, SS; Makayla Gutierrez, sr, C; Germanie Williams, sr, OF; Avah Reyes, jr, RHP; Mariah Estrada, jr, 3B; Andra Starks, jr, OF
Top Newcomers (name, classification, position): Kaylee Gonzales, fr, RHP/Util.; Jazlynn Johnson-Burns, fr, OF: Izabella Rocha, fr., RHP/Util.
2025 team strengths, weaknesses, and team goals:
• Strengths: Power, high IQ; play together as a team.
• Weaknesses: Several new faces; inexperience with the speed of the game
• Team goals: Win district, make a playoff run, win 30 games, get better every game
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2025 COOPER SOFTBALL PREVIEW
Last season: 12-20-1 (3-9, 5th in District 4-5A)
Head Coach: Kaegan Jimenez (4th season overall / 1st season at Cooper)
Coach Jimenez’s record: 69-33-1 overall / 0-0 at Cooper
Last district championship: 1994
Last playoff appearance: 2021 (lost to Aledo, 2-0, in best-of-three series Region I-5A semifinal series)
Last playoff series win: 2021 (def. El Paso Hanks, 2-0, in best-of-three Region I-5A quarterfinal series)
Top Returners (name, classification, position): Payton Ellis, soph, IF: Emma Ruiz, sr, IF; Maddie Fry, sr, IF; Gabby DeLeon, sr, IF; Lynette Aguilar, sr, IF
2025 team strengths, weaknesses, and team goals:
• Strengths: We are working well as a family; they have the drive to change the culture.
• Team goals: Win more games than last year and go to the playoffs. Treat each other like family and re-establish and build on our culture.