BULLARD, Texas — The Bullard Lady Panthers are cruising through the playoffs and that's due in large part to their senior class and team leader, Hadi Fults.
In game one of the Waco Robinson series, Fults escaped a slow start in the top of the first inning with runners on two bases and no outs, Bullard would end the inning up 4-0.
"I think composure is a great word because I think Hadi shows composure day in and day out, on and off the field that I get to see," said Bullard head softball coach Julie Murry.
Fults then showed up at the plate, hitting an RBI double to bring in the first run in the game.
"The whole game started off slow, but we just trusted the process," Fults said. "We just went with it and knew we were going to come through and we came out good in the end."
On her next at-bat, Robinson's coach intentionally walked Fults, which has been the story of her career. At this point, Fults has been walked over 45 times.
"Honestly, me getting walked doesn't faze me anymore," Fults said. "Because I know Teagan and the other girls behind her have my back and they will score those runs."
Bullard won game one, 8-0. In game two, it was close. The Bullard Lady Panthers went down a run in the fifth inning when Fults hit the go-ahead homerun to bring in Callie Bailey and herself. They'd complete the sweep, 3-2.
That go-ahead homerun marked Fults' 22nd this year, a career she said she's proud of.
"I've been trying to go bigger and better each year and I didn't think I was going to get this far," Fults expressed. "But for it to be in this big of a moment, it was so surreal and to have that with my teammates and celebrate it was amazing."
Currently, Bullard is in the middle of a rematch with the Liberty Lady Panthers, a team they lost to in the 2021 state semifinals and Fults wants revenge.
"They're a great team and I know they know me, but revenge? I mean yeah, I do want revenge because of the loss my sophomore year," Fults said.
Revenge is a dish best served cold, because Fults would get her lick back in game one of the regional finals, hitting the walk-off homer to win the game one over Liberty, 5-4.
As the Panthers continue their playoff run, fans better enjoy Fults while they have, because in a few more games, she'll no longer be in a Panthers uniform.
"It is bittersweet but I'm ready for my next chapter," Fults expressed. "And I know Corpus Christi has a lot for me and I know these girls will carry on a legacy that me and the other seniors have left here."
Coach Murry wants to cherish the time she has left with the big hitter.
"It's really something I've yet to allow myself to face if I'm being honest," Murry said. "I don't want to think about Bullard softball without her for sure. But she's led this program in a lot of steps that I'm really really proud of and I know that she's going to do that where she goes next."
The winner of Bullard-Liberty will punch their ticket to state.