By JOSHUA McKINNNEY, Staff Writer
Sun Tzu once said “All warfare is deception.”
If that’s the case, Pace Lady Vikings’ pitcher Brianna Nunez is a general of trickery.
Nunez, a junior in her third year on varsity for Pace (6-11, 2-5), commands the circle like the mightiest of giants.
She stands about 5 feet, 1 inches tall and weighs around 92 pounds, but she doesn’t let her diminutive appearance speak for her. In fact, she doesn’t mind if opponents take her lightly because of her stature. In the end, she uses it to fuel the fires of her drive.
“I just try to push myself because a lot of people will doubt me because I’m small and super skinny,” Nunez said. “That motivates me to do better.”
Coach Jesus Jaramillo Jr. doesn’t doubt his pitcher’s abilities. He thinks her size is her strength.
“I think people underestimate her because she only weighs about 90 pounds,” Jaramillo Jr. said. “She’s real small and it looks like she’s slow but when you see her out there, her motions look kind of easy. The ball gets there kind of quick and defensively, they hit right at her and they think that it will go right by her. She makes the play. It looks like it’s slow when she picks it up but she’s able to get them out at first. She’s pretty quick, but she looks slow. She just gets the ball, turns around (with) no rush and gets it there. She’s never in a rush.”
Nunez might appear slow on the mound, but she has a sense of urgency when it comes to getting better every day.
The junior ace has shown a penchant for getting batters out, collecting 24 strikeouts during 25 innings pitched in district games.
Her presence in critical moments has helped a young Lady Vikings team looking to contend for a postseason berth in a tough District 32-5A.
“What keeps everybody going is the pitcher,” Jaramillo Jr. said. “Brianna’s pretty much been the leader since her freshman year. So when she’s on it, which usually she is, it’s to our advantage. She puts the ball in play and makes them pop up.
“That’s what the kids are learning. She’s giving them an opportunity by pitching, whether it’s her drop (pitch), changeup. (She’s) making (batters) pop up to where (the defense) can catch it. The big key has been our pitching.”
Having leadership from Nunez and other upperclassmen on the team has helped Pace turn things around during district.
The Lady Vikings have won two of their past three games after an 0-4 start to the district schedule. The win streak includes an 11-1 win over PSJA Southwest in 5 innings Thursday.
“I think us motivating them (has helped) because there’s only me and one more junior and a senior, so we’re like the leaders of the group,” Nunez added. “They’ve gotten used to us and they know that we take this seriously. We just try to win and do our best.”
Joshua McKinney covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @joshuabvherald.