Sister act: Wick sisters relish time together on softball field

Sabrina made a lot of people believers in her. Named to the District 10-5A first team, she hit at a .375 clip with 19 RBIs and 25 runs. Olivia was also a threat to record a hit every time she stepped into the batter’s box. Named the district’s utility player of the year – an award that she won again this season – hit a whopping .521 with seven home runs, 50 hits, 19 RBIs and 41 runs.

Not only was Sabrina producing at the plate, but also stood out defensively at shortstop. Despite all of her individual success, shortstop was a new position for her. Prior to last season, she spent time at both third base and outfield.

Understandably, there were some growing pains while she got acclimated to a new position.

"It was definitely nerve-racking at first,” Sabrina said. “Coming in as a freshman, like Liv said, being a leader at shortstop is nerve-racking. But, it was good because I knew a lot of these girls growing up. I had good team chemistry with these girls."

Playing shortstop for The Colony has had some big names attached to it. Sabrina’s predecessor, Jayda Coleman, now a two-time national champion with the Oklahoma Sooners, was named the Texas Gatorade Player of the Year and National Gatorade Player of the Year, both in 2020.

“Those are super big shoes to fill, but I think it was great to be able to watch her because she is so talented and athletic,” Sabrina said. “What I would see in the high-school field, it would just help me. I would know what to do when I was out there. I just have to work drills to try and execute that."

Sabrina also credited her sister for getting her ready for varsity softball.

Sabrina was in the stands in Austin watching her older sister and her Lady Cougar teammates play Corpus Christi Calallen in one of two 5A state semifinals in 2019. The Colony was held to one hit in a season-ending 5-1 loss, but Olivia was a big reason why the Lady Cougars advanced that far.

When all-state infielder Madison Hirsch went down with a wrist injury that required surgery, Wick filled in for her and played a key role in The Colony’s extended postseason run, hitting .439 with 54 hits, 44 RBIs and scored 33 runs for a 39-3 team.

Asked what made her freshman season successful, Olivia said it was her teammates.

"Honestly, I think it was the team environment,” she said. “Karlie Charles was so dominant in the circle, and Jayda and Jacee (Hamlin) made my job so much easier. All I had to do was hit a ground ball or fly because they would get on and would score. Getting that confidence helped me a lot."

The Colony appeared poised to make a return to the state tournament the following year. The Lady Cougars started 15-3 and were clicking on all cylinders. Then, COVID hit. There was a time when Olivia wasn’t sure if she’d receive the opportunity to play with Sabrina.

Thankfully for Olivia and Sabrina, high school sports returned to the fall, but with restrictions in place to adhere to the safety measure that the UIL had adopted for their players and coaches. But being able to play softball together for the first time since Olivia was 8 years old and Sabrina was 6 was a welcome sight. Their parents, David and Audra, signed them up to play in a youth league and they ended up liking it.

David and Audra have been huge influences in their daughters’ lives, especially for softball. Sabrina said that her father would go over game highlights that had been posted onto Hudl’s site and watch their at-bats to break down pitch sequences. Audra was also in attendance at Olivia’s and Sabrina’s games and recorded film of their at-bats and defensive plays.

"I would consider us to be big film people,” Sabrina said. “It's really helpful to both of us. We love to watch film with our dad and just go over the game, especially in playoff series. We can see what we did good on, what we did bad on.”

All of the time that Olivia and Sabrina spent examining game film and making adjustments has paid off. Last year, The Colony overcame a slow start to qualify for the postseason for the 10^th straight season, despite most of the team not having previous playoff experience. This year, the Lady Cougars were a regional semifinalist with a 24-10-1 record and playoff victories against Frisco Reedy, Creekview and Frisco Memorial.

In Game 3 of The Colony’s the regional semifinal series against Royse City, Olivia and Sabrina each hit a home run, though the Lady Cougars saw their season end with an 8-6 loss. In Game 1, each one caught a line drive to fuel a come-from-behind 5-3 win for the Lady Cougars. Sabrina had the game-tying, two-run triple. Olivia followed with the go-ahead RBI single.

Game 3 was the last game in a Lady Cougars’ uniform for Olivia, a Regis University signee. As Olivia and Sabrina walked up the stairs at McKinney Boyd’s Bronco Field, they gave each other a big hug.

"That was rough,” Olivia said. “It was very, very bittersweet. I was crying a lot, and she was, too.”

In their two years as teammates, The Colony won 34 games, finished with two playoff appearances and five postseason victories.

“We accomplished a lot of things,” Olivia said. “The run that we had and making it to the fourth round of the playoffs was fun. I loved playing with my sister. I'm so glad that I was able to spend my last two years with her."