Oklahoma State softball commit Libby Jaques aiming to lead Moore to state championship
Jordan DavisThe Oklahoman
MOORE — Libby Jaques paraded around the diamond after blasting a two-run home run to center field.
The homer came in the Moore outfielder's first at-bat of the evening. She then met her teammates at the plate, who've grown accustomed to the sight of Jaques sending softball's over the outfield wall.
While most pitchers opt to walk Jaques when up to bat, others choose to learn the hard way.
"I've been in a rhythm lately, so I've seen a few teams walk me recently," Jaques said after Moore's 3-0 win over Broken Arrow on Tuesday. "I feel like (Broken Arrow) had ideas coming into the game of how to pitch around me. Even if I didn't get on base, my team would back me up. They have all year up to this point."
The win over Broken Arrow improved Moore's record to 14-5 on the season. The Lions have been on a tear in September, winning 10 of their past 11 games, with the start of the regional playoffs is just weeks away.
Moore has won its games with opponents by nearly five runs per game in that span while scoring seven runs on average.
"We started the year out strong in the first week, but we had a pretty rough stretch the week afterward," Jaques said. "We had a team meeting and decided to stay after practice to work on our hitting with the machine, which has helped us get going since."
Jaques, an Oklahoma State commit and Lions team captain, is a three-sport athlete at Moore, participating in softball, basketball, and track and field.
She was The Oklahoman's Big All-City player of the year after hitting .459 with 15 home runs, 52 runs batted in, 55 runs scored and 18 stolen bases last season.
Jaques was also named Girls Athlete of the Year at the 2024 OKC Metro High School Sports Awards in June. She won the Class 6A shot put title in May with a toss of 44-4 and was an honorable mention on The Oklahoman's Super 5 in March after averaging 13 points.
However, those feats are only half of what Jaques aims to accomplish.
She dreams of becoming a pediatric nurse. Jaques currently interns for Moore Public Schools at elementary schools, shadowing occupational therapists weekly.
"From the moment I met Libby, I noticed that she's never complacent," Moore head coach Stephanie Riley said. "She's never satisfied with where she's at. Whether it be hitting after practice or shooting free throws or in the classroom, she always feels like there's room for improvement or room to explore. That kind of energy is contagious."
While the Lions' play has spoken volumes over the past month, their chemistry did not materialize recently.
Moore began its conditioning workouts weeks ahead of the start of the season. The team met on weekday mornings throughout the summer at 6:30 a.m. to run, lift weights and remain in playing shape.
The team's conditioning workouts not only prepared them physically but also fostered a strong sense of camaraderie. Their dugout chants, born from these workouts, remind them of the promises formed in the offseason.
"We're a younger team this year after graduating 11 seniors, so our summer program was huge for us," Jaques said. "All of us were there grinding because we don't want to lose again. We're motivated to win a state championship. We don't want to get to state and lose — we want to get to state and win it this time around. Everyone had already agreed to it."
Despite the Lions' regular-season success, their deep postseason success has been elusive in the past decade.
The eventual Class 6A state champions have eliminated Moore in the playoffs in nine of the last 11 years. The program won its most recent state title in 2007 and finished as state runner-up to Mustang in 2017.
Riley and the Lions are aware of this reality, but the 15th-year head coach refuses to let the past discourage her players.
"Tradition at Moore is deep, and that tradition is strong," Riley said. "When they come in as seventh graders, teach them to stay 'Lion strong.' The big thing for this year after losing last year is to finish. Sometimes luck is better than talent, so we want them to enjoy each other, play hard, and finish."
