By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
It helps when a first-year coach has a talented freshman waiting for him upon his arrival.
That was the setup for the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers. They brought aboard former Los Fresnos coach Ray Cardenas, who took over for a struggling Lady Chargers team that fell short of the postseason last year. His change in style and pace shifted the attitude of the team.
The way the Lady Chargers excelled down the stretch to lock into a three-way tie for the No. 4 seed in District 32-6A, win a tiebreaker and defeat the No. 1 seeded Weslaco High Lady Panthers in the bi-district round earned him The Brownsville Herald’s 2015 All-Metro Softball Coach of the Year award.
But the change in culture was just one element that helped him succeed. The other: freshman pitcher Cassie Valdez.
“Great players get respected really quickly in this game, and (Valdez ) is a great player,” Cardenas said. “She has a lot of energy in practice, and the girls feed off of that. She’s exactly what you hope for when you get a player. She does everything in practice, and she performs even better in the games. The girls see that and they want to emulate that.”
During her first year playing for Brownsville Veterans, she was effective on both sides of the ball. As a pitcher, Valdez boasted a 2.3 ERA and registered 109 strikeouts in 106 1/3 innings. Offensively, she compiled a 1.028 OPS and led the team in doubles (14), hits (36) and runs (28).
Her effort during her inaugural season has earned her The Herald’s All-Metro Newcomer of the Year award.
“I feel honored and blessed, and I feel thankful that my parents support me and they’re always there for me,” Valdez said. “I’m thankful that my coach is there to show me the mechanics of the game and that my team has my back all the time.”
The freshman started the biggest game of the year for the Lady Chargers on May 8. She got the call to take on Laredo LBJ in the area round.
“At first I was a little nervous, but then you just get used to it and you don’t think about the fans or the girls cheering, you just focus on what you need to do and play your game,” said Valdez of the area-round start.
Valdez pitched well and Brownsville Veterans fell just short of advancing to a regional quarterfinal, but in the eyes of Cardenas that doesn’t diminish what his team accomplished during his first year at the helm.
“I was very fortunate that (Brownsville Veterans principal Maria Solis) and (athletic coordinator David Cantu) gave me the opportunity to come here and get things going like I did at Los Fresnos ,” Cardenas said. “I’m extremely grateful that they gave me the opportunity to prove myself, and that it wasn’t a fluke (at Los Fresnos ) and that it was a lot of hard work. And I’m grateful for the girls here that they were able to make the season memorable for all of us.”
The coach enjoys reflecting back on his team’s success but realizes there’s work to be done.
“It was a great season, making a lot of history and a lot of milestones here at this campus: first time in the playoffs, first time winning a bi-district championship, one hit away from an area championship,” he said. “But we came in fourth place in our district. We need to make sure that we’re competing for those district championships. That’s the goal we’re setting for next year.”
Aside from talented players, the Lady Chargers have used a hard-work approach to become a successful program, an attitude of which Cardenas is proud. So much so that it has him looking ahead to next season, as he realizes his team has the makeup to be highly competitive.
“It’s become more serious at practices and at the games, nobody’s really messing around,” Valdez said. “Everyone is doing the best that they can because this year we had a goal, and that was to go to playoffs. And once you reach that goal, we were like, ‘OK, let’s take it further.’”
Added Cardenas, “How hard they’re willing to work gets me excited for next year, because I know they’re not content. They’re not happy with what happened. They tasted it for the first time, and they just want to get after it and come back and do even bigger things next year.”
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.