On June 1, Texas pledge Caigan Crabtree became the first player to hit two home runs in a UIL softball state championship game. She made history on the same field that she will be playing on in college, and her two long balls and four RBIs at UT’s Red & Charline McCombs Field lifted Melissa to an 8-0 win over Harlingen South in the Class 5A final and gave Melissa its first softball state title.
“It was so amazing, especially on my future field. It was something I will never forget,” said Crabtree, who was named the MVP of the state title game.
Crabtree had six RBIs in the two games at the state tournament, a record for the UIL’s second-largest classification. What did the junior shortstop do to celebrate?
She spent the next week watching Texas reach the championship series at the Women’s College World Series and come within two wins of its first softball national title.
“I was really happy for them getting to play Oklahoma in the finals. It’s just surreal that I will be there in a couple of years,” Crabtree said.
Crabtree’s historic season ended with her being named The Dallas Morning News’ All-Area Player of the Year after she hit .545 with 21 home runs, 61 RBIs, 66 hits, 43 extra-base hits and 57 runs for a 38-2-1 team that is ranked No. 13 in the nation by MaxPreps. Her home run total surpassed the previous Dallas-area season record but now ranks No. 2 in area history after Melissa teammate Hutton “LuLu” Adrian hit 22 homers as a freshman this year.
“She has always been very good fundamentally and has always had a lot of power in her swing, but I think the biggest difference was her mental game,” said Melissa coach Cassie Crabtree, who is Caigan’s mom. “She really dove into the mind a little bit more this season and has done a very good job of controlling her mind and being comfortable in the [batters] box and making good adjustments.”
Caigan helped Melissa break the state record for most home runs by a team in a season, and the school’s 92 long balls are the second-most in national history, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. While she is one of the top softball players in the country, Caigan also plays varsity basketball for Melissa, and the two seasons overlap.
“It keeps her super busy. It’s hard, because she still plays [softball] year-round,” Cassie said. “It keeps her in shape, and it gives her a different perspective. She has a different role in basketball. She has to go through some challenges and difficult times because it’s not her main sport.”
Texas was the first school that Caigan visited, and she committed to UT in September. She had planned to visit LSU and North Carolina State, but that didn’t happen after she was offered the opportunity to play for a team that was the top overall seed in this year’s NCAA tournament.
Caigan was named the District 13-5A co-MVP, and she hit .412 with five home runs, 10 extra-base hits, 10 runs and 13 RBIs as Melissa went 10-0 in the playoffs. But a sport that she started when she was 8 or 9 hasn’t always been easy.
“Especially with travel ball, before I had never been the best on the team,” she said. “I had to compete and work for my position and work to prove myself. I came a long way from where I used to be.”
She credits her mom with getting her to this point, saying, “She has taught me everything I need to know about softball.” That has influenced her plans for the future.
“I really want to major in sports management and then become a grad assistant and then hopefully become a college coach somewhere,” she said. “My mom has been my inspiration.”
Others considered: Denton Guyer’s Kaylynn Jones, Melissa’s Hutton “LuLu” Adrian
Recent winners
2023: Kaylynn Jones, Denton Guyer
2022: Lake Ridge’s Tia Warsop
2021: Prosper’s Elizabeth Moffitt
2020: None due to COVID-19 pandemic
2019: Jayda Coleman, The Colony
2018: Savanna DesRochers, Forney
Note: There was no all-area team in 2020 after half the season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2024 Softball awards
— The Dallas Morning News 2024 softball Player of the Year: Melissa’s Caigan Crabtree
— Offensive, Pitcher, Newcomer and Coach of the Year
— All-area first, second, and third teams
Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
