The impromptu meeting came on the Saturday morning of Comanche’s tournament in Clifton.

Roland Silva was contemplating who to start in the circle against Gatesville when a small group of Maidens approached the softball coach.  

“A couple juniors and seniors came up and said we enjoy getting a shot to pitch, but we’re a much better team with Riley in the circle,” Silva recalled. “I told her, ‘These girls are depending on you.’ We’re a much more confident team with her out there.”   

That was the day when Comanche went from having a pitching rotation to leaning almost solely on Riley Riordan. The freshman hasn’t disappointed as she’s posted a 13-6 record with a 2.88 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 116.1 innings while batting .463.