By Merle Bertrand, Sportswriter

Somebody needs to tell Liberty Hill centerfielder Courtney Weems that the Lady Panthers will not win this weekend’s 3A State Softball Tournament.

 

“When I was really little, about ten years-old, I started playing on my first Select team that wasn’t in Liberty Hill, and I had a coach tell me that I should quit playing the sport because I would never amount to anything in the softball world,” Weems recounted.

 

“And that summer I went out and I worked as hard as I could, as hard as a ten year-old could work,” Weems continued. “I came back the next season and played on a different team and he came up to me after we played them and acknowledged that he had made a big mistake because I completely worked so hard to get so much better.

 

“I know that I’m small and everything and a lot of people don’t think that I can do some of the things that I do, and I like having that feeling and that drive of proving people wrong,” Weems stated defiantly.

 

So, yes, tell her that Coach Charice Hankins’ Region 4 Champion Lady Panthers (27-8) can’t win State, because junior Courtney Lee Weems has been proving softball skeptics wrong since she was four years-old.

 

Born in Austin on October 12 to Ronnie and Christie Weems, Courtney is the eldest of three daughters. Chelsey (15) has just completed her freshman year at LHHS, while the Weems’ youngest daughter, Cassidey (12), just finished the 6^th grade.

 

From her perch in center field, Weems has had a perfect vantage point from which to observe and compare this 2012 season to her past two seasons at the varsity level.

 

“It has gone, compared to last year, a complete 180,” stated the 2010 District Newcomer of the Year. “Last year, we had a lot of problems involving the team and how we got along. Not everybody liked everybody on the team and it was obvious.

 

“I think this year, we made a point to, we always had team dinners and we always did stuff involving the team and even when there was a conflict within everybody on the team, we were able to fix it as soon as it came up, whereas last year we didn’t ever even attempt to fix it,” Weems explained.

 

“So this year, our bonding within the team made a complete change in the way we played. Everybody was there backing each other up, and we always had each other’s backs and I think that that made a world of difference in the way that we played from preseason on up.”

 

Already a three-year veteran of varsity play, Weems earned 2^nd Team All-District honors last season. Like her team, Weems kept working to improve and was just named the 2012 District Defensive Player of the Year, as well as earning a spot on the Academic All-District team. She also earned an Academic Excellence award and was named to the AB Honor Roll.

 

When not roaming the Panthers’ outfield, Weems enjoys writing and music, especially that of the rap artist Wiz Khalifa. Although it might surprise some people given her fiery determination to excel at softball, Weems admitted to at least one endearing soft spot:

 

“I still sleep with my stuffed bunny that my Daddy gave me when I was born. His name is Bun-Bun,” Weems revealed.

 

A barbecue lover whose favorite meal is steak with mashed potatoes, Weems acknowledged that although she loves playing centerfield because she has a clear view of everything on the field, “...whenever I know that there’s been a bad call it is really frustrating sometimes because you know what you saw and you obviously can’t argue it. It’s just the coach, so it’s frustrating at times,” Weems admitted.

 

“But I like being able to see everything that’s going on in the field because I know where each play is going to be made at and I know every aspect of the game from where I stand. So I love my centerfield position.”

 

Admitting that her fellow underclassmen feel some pressure to help their senior teammates get the state title, Weems also pointed out that this year’s seniors have raised the bar for the Liberty Hill softball program going forward.

 

“They’ve left so much,” Weems said of the seniors, “but I think going as far as we did this year with them being there, whenever we lose them, we’re going to want to keep that journey going. We’re not going to want to go back down and say, ‘Oh, well, we lost eight or nine seniors so we shouldn’t be as good as were last year.’”

 

As a junior, Weems has one more year to appreciate the support from the Liberty Hill community; support she already realizes exceeds that found at most places.

 

“Oh, I love it…The stands are always packed,” Weems explained. “At yesterday’s game, (the May 26 Regional Final vs. Columbia), the stands on our side were completely full and the stands on Columbia’s side were maybe half way full and it’s always like that for Liberty Hill.

 

“We always have kind of a bond within the Liberty Hill community and I really like that. I like how it’s a small town that supports each and every one of its sports.”

 

Weems sees her future as clearly as she can see the softball field from centerfield on a spring night in Liberty Hill.

 

“I have worked extremely hard to become the player I am today, and I will stop at nothing to achieve my dream of playing at the collegiate level,” Weems stated fiercely, noting that she eventually plans to become a pediatrician. Those who have watched her develop as a player should have no doubts that she will achieve both of those goals.

 

But first, there’s the small matter of a State Championship to attend to.

 

“I’m so excited! I was watching the UT game yesterday and it’s just weird watching it and thinking, ‘Oh, my gosh! We’re going to be playing on that field!’” Weems exclaimed.

 

“I want thank the whole entire team for putting everything aside and even when we had our rough moments, just pushing through it and getting as far as we did. Let’s win State!”

 

Given Courtney Weems’ gritty determination to turn doubters into believers, is there really any reason to doubt that she and her Lady Panthers teammates will do anything but?