Winning can do a lot for a team. But at Livingston High School, a big part of the spark seems to have come from somewhere else entirely.
Coming into this week, the Livingston Lions softball team was off to a 22-3 start, one of the best openings in program history. Coach Heather Mosser said that kind of success did not appear overnight. When she arrived, things were harder.
“My first year here, I struggled a little bit,” said Mosser, Livingston head softball coach, to Houston Inside High School Sports.
What changed, she said, was a shift in what the program stood for beyond the field.
“I felt like I needed something different and something positive.”
That turned into Best Buddies, a special needs program that has become part of the team’s identity over the last four years. Players spend time with students in ways that go well beyond softball. Sometimes the buddies throw out a first pitch. Sometimes they join the team for activities. Sometimes the athletes go to them.
“We’ve been doing Best Buddies for four years,” said Corinne Henderson, the Livingston junior shortstop. “They come out here, they can do first pitch. They just love being around us.”
For the players, the impact seems immediate.
“They love getting the activities in. It’s so fun to include them. You can see their faces just light up when you do it.”
Senior pitcher Brooke Anderson said the connection grew through small, steady moments.
“Best buddies, like they would come to us for athletics and we’d have fun, play games,” added Anderson. “We went and read books to them. They always love it. We love it. We have a fun time. It was just so comfortable and fun and all the buddies have so much fun doing it. I just love it. We see them every week.”
Mosser, known around school as Coach Mo, also coaches volleyball and pushed to make the effort part of the wider athletic culture at Livingston High School.
“So it wasn’t just a softball thing like we were implementing it year-round, and it’s continued that way.”
The school also runs a program called Lions in Training, which helps younger children and gives players another chance to mentor kids in the community. For Henderson, that time has shaped the team as much as any drill or practice.
“They are always so happy when they come out here. They’re ready to learn, do new things, and it’s just so fun to see them so happy and energetic,” she said.
Mosser sees those moments as part of a bigger lesson.
“We call it our best day, so better every step together,” said Mosser. “The joy on their faces when they’re out here and they’re getting to run out with their kids on the field and do the national anthem, and it’s just a part of like building this program, but building this community with it.”
Somewhere along the way, that off-field bond appears to have carried over into the season. Livingston is playing sharp softball, and Mosser said much of that comes from buy-in and shared standards.
“You know, we’ve, they’ve just kind of bought in,” said Coach Mo. “I have seniors that have been with me all four years and they’ve really grown the program and they know the expectations. We dress sharp, we look good, we play good. We’re here to work every day to compete. It’s a mindset, and a focus that we have to have every day.”
Anderson said the team’s closeness has helped take some of the pressure out of the game.
“You can just have fun together in it,” she added. “I feel like that’s probably why we’ve been doing so good this season.”
Mosser believes that kind of support runs both ways.
“There is a pride that this community has when you pour in,” said Coach Mo. “They pour out not only our community, but from the top in our administration as well. Like they want us to be successful and are willing to give everything to go above and beyond for us.”
