Photo: Eloisa Maes pitches against Barbers Hill in the 5A D1 champ game. She finished with a 31-1 record.
By Brian Gosset
X – @gosset41
X – @gmsportsmedia1
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Eloisa Maes, who helped lead the Melissa Cardinals softball team to a second straight state championship in May, announced her commitment to play at the University of Arizona on Sunday.
“I’m beyond blessed to announce my commitment to the University of Arizona! I can’t thank all of the coaches enough for getting me to this part of my journey and it is only the beginning!”
Arizona is among the best softball programs all-time, having won eight national championships with five in the 1990s and back-to-back in 2006 and 2007. The Wildcats won 48 games in the spring and reached the Big 12 champ game, losing to national runner-up Texas Tech 4-0. They advanced to the regionals – going 3-2 before losing to Ole Miss 7-3 on May 18 to end their season.
Melissa went 38-1 last season – capped with a 4-2 win over Barbers Hill in the Class 5A Division 1 state championship game in Austin. Maes was voted state champ MVP with seven innings of work, three hits and two runs allowed with two walks and seven strikeouts.
Melissa was ranked #1 in the country by MaxPreps and was crowned MaxPreps National Champs.
Maes, a junior, wrapped up the season with a stellar 31-1 record from the rubber with a 1.30 ERA and 238 strikeouts in 145.1 innings pitched. Her 31 wins ranked most in Texas and #5 in the country according to MaxPreps. Maes was named GM Sports Media All-Area Pitcher Of The Year.
She allowed just 64 hits and held opposing batters to a 0.127 batting average. In 14 of 34 appearances, Maes didn’t allow a hit and she finished with four perfect games, including one against Frisco Wakeland in the area round.
Two other perfect games came in back-to-back starts against Flower Mound on Feb. 22 and Rockwall on Feb. 25. The other came in district against Greenville on March 4. Additionally, Maes posted four no-hitters, three in district and one against Texarkana Texas High in Game 2 of the bi-district championship.
Her only loss came against Lake Belton in Game 1 of the regional final – a 2-0 defeat where Maes went six innings and gave up one earned with nine strikeouts. However, Maes and her teammates responded with two wins on May 17 to clinch the series (9-2, 10-0). Maes combined to throw 12 innings in Game 2 and Game 3 with five hits allowed and 15 strikeouts.
As a freshman, Maes split time with Alex Starr and served more as a reliever. In 28 appearances, Maes went 9-0 with 10 saves, a 1.29 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 86.2 innings pitched.
Melissa went 38-2-1 that season with its first state title – an 8-0 victory over Harlingen South. The Cardinals hit a state record 92 home runs in 2024 highlighted by three players with 20+ (Lulu Adrian, who set a DFW record with 22 as a freshman, Caigan Crabtree, the 2024 state champ MVP, with 21, and then sophomore Kennedy Bradley with 20).
The Cards smashed their mark and the national mark in 2025 with 122 – breaking the previous record of 105. Bradley, who is committed to Florida, broke Adrian’s DFW record with 24. Crabtree, now at the University of Texas, had 20 while Finlee Williams, who played at Allen in 2024, posted 19. Adrian added 17 while outfielder Paisley Needham, now at Grayson College and the one that broke the record with the team’s 106th against Midlothian in the regional semifinals, hit 12. First baseman Izzy Gonzales finished with 10.
Melissa graduated three starters, Crabtree at shortstop, Needham and DP Gabby Kuehler, and returns seven in the field – Maes (2027), Adrian at catcher (2027), Williams (2027 CF/SS), Bradley (2026 3B), Gonzales (2027), Shug Bradford (2027 2B) and Hattie Winter (2026 OF).
