TWCA SOFTBALL: Warrior Softball Ends The Season as a Top-4 Squad and a Groundbreaker for School History

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- An unbeaten journey through district saw The Woodlands Christian Academy Lady Warriors blaze a trail through the postseason ahead of their top-four finish in the State Semifinals.

Success has been a gradual process for the Lady Warrior Softball program that has reached a peak over the past three seasons.

From the program finishing below .500 three seasons ago, the Woodlands Christian softball program has taken back-to-back district titles in addition to deep postseason runs.

Lady Warrior Head Coach Joshua Culp attributes the team’s dramatic uptick in success over the past two seasons to a palpable trust in the team’s leaders. Seniors and Juniors have stepped up to take on roles as motivators that fuel the team through words and production.

“When we take the field, the confidence we have in our senior pitcher, Keira Crosby, is infectious,” said Culp. “We know that we have a chance to win every game because she is going to dominate on the mound.”

But hitting from players like Aggie commit Reagan Rohlich adds powerful support that bolsters the work of the defensive game by giving them much-needed run support.

“And with our Junior leadoff hitter, Reagan Rohrlic, hitting over .700 the past three seasons, we know that offensively, we are going to be a threat from the very first at-bat,” said Culp. “Follow that up with our 2-4 hitters, Kate Rouswell, Crosby, and Alexis Osterhaus, and you can see how we managed to score 335 runs and only allowed 135 this year.”

The unique combination of skill and humble attitudes from the team’s top-flight talent adds a layer of complexity to the Lady Warriors' environment. An air of modesty in the face of district champion-level talent has created a safe space where the talent can shine while setting an example for the next group up.

“They carry themselves with grace and humility, taking the time to work with not only the underclassmen starters, but helping to coach up and mentor our role players as well,” said Culp on the team’s three college commits. “It is amazing to watch them take the younger players under their wings and encourage them in practice and games.”

With the pieces falling into place with the talent on the field, Coach Culp and the rest of the Lady Warrior coaching staff knew they had to emphasize the work behind the scenes to get the most out of their players.

Time in the weight room and a willingness to listen to advice from coaches became core pillars for the Woodlands Christian team that was gearing up for a deep push.

“In each of my previous coaching roles, I have always stressed the importance of the weight room and its ability to transform athletes,” explained Culp. “There are not many scenarios in sports where being faster and stronger does not offer a competitive advantage.”

Culp took the time to heavily instill the mindset of working on self-betterment into each of his players. But even before his arrival on the Woodlands Christian Academy campus, he had an idea as to how this team could benefit in a short amount of time from the improvement mentality.

“I knew from the moment I was offered the job last year that TWCA Softball was on the cusp of being an extremely competitive team,” said Culp. “So much so that I walked away from the Tomball High School job that I was offered to pursue the opportunity here, even knowing that Tomball was going to be an extremely strong team as well.”

The opportunity to take the pieces left for him and build a ship that could ride deep into the postseason was taken to its fullest capacity by Culp. A drastic improvement in record and a District Championship during the 2024 season has carried into an unbeaten run and repeat District Title in 2025.

Contributions from every part of the lineup were needed in the 2025 title defense, with some key players having to take time away from the team to focus on recovering from injuries. But, level-headed play and determination against adversity worked in the Lady Warriors’ favor on their way to a perfect record through district play.

“During our undefeated run through the district, it was absolutely a full team effort,” said Culp. “We lost Crosby for a few weeks due to a foot injury. She ended up only throwing 14 innings in our nine games, but Sophomore Marissa Clarke and Freshman Alison Chander stepped in to keep us competitive on the mound.”

All-district level talent highlighted the sheer talent on display for the Lady Warriors during their 9-0 run, and it had the team ready to compete once the State Playoffs began.

Wins in the first and second rounds by a combined score of 20-1 were some of the most lopsided wins no the season for the Lady Warriors, and they looked poised to continue the push ahead of the Final Four.

Historic depths of their latest playoff run had the team fully poised to continue the journey, hoping to complete the trek to the mountaintop and claim a state championship.

“This team has earned back-to-back district championships and has made the furthest run since being moved up to Division II by getting to the Final Four,” said Culp. “In 2019, while classified as Division III due to smaller enrollment, the team made it to the state final and came second.”

Unfortunately for the red-hot Lady Warriors, their dive into the postseason came to a sudden end in the face of a 1-5 loss to the St. Joseph Flyers. With the Flyers being another top-flight team in Texas, the Lady Warriors gave the rest of their effort to swing the game in their favor, but to no avail.

However, Coach Culp took the time following the loss to remind the team of its values of self-betterment and what the team had just accomplished.

“Although we lost in the semi-finals, my message to the team was that they are not defined by one game,” said Culp. “The team and individual accomplishments they had throughout the season, the memories they made, the bonds they formed, and the lessons they learned from the adversity they went through are what matter the most.”

With multiple key players returning next season for Woodlands Christian, the team will likely continue to see its progression pay off, with the next generation set to fill the gaps. These fresh faces and the battle-tested veterans will combine into a formidable force looking for a three-peat in the district title race and another deep run for a hopeful state championship.

*Special thanks and congratulations to Coach Culp for his help in getting this story together and for the excelleent playoff run.*