BY JOSHUA MCKINNEY, Staff Writer
It’s been a trying softball season for the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons, but seniors Maya Guevara and Vivikah Pesina are looking to finish out their storied careers on a high note. They’ve set the bar high for their final week: win and have fun.
Guevara, the team’s starting shortstop and Pesina, who splits time between the outfield and pitching, have worked under coach Traci Blackman since she took over as Los Fresnos’ softball coach in 2013 and played on some of the school’s best teams.
The pair has played on three playoff teams, including the 2014 squad that won the 32-5A district title and advanced to the regional quarterfinals of the playoffs.
“It’s been a good experience (at Los Fresnos),” Guevara said. “I’ve had fun these past four years. We’ve had some great times and some great wins. We’ve had some good runs in the past four years.”
The two players stand to be the beacons of what it means to play for the Lady Falcons (16-9-1, 6-6), as both will represent their school on collegiate softball teams next spring.
Guevara heads to Alvin Community College in Alvin and Pesina is going out of state to play softball for Brown Mackie College in Salinas, Kansas.
“It’s extremely exciting and all that because this is what we’ve worked our whole lives for,” Pesina said. “We both started at 4 and this is all we’ve been doing our whole lives. It feels good to keep it going even more.”
For Blackman, it’s a culmination of what she’s trying to build at Los Fresnos. She says Guevara’s and Pesina’s work ethic, desire and love for the game make them good role models for Lady Falcons’ softball
“(It’s nice to see them) go off and continue (to play softball), because it’s not just the work here,” Blackman said. “It shouldn’t be ever based on one season. These girls have been with me for a while and they’ve done some great things over the last four years. I want to see them be successful and I hope that they take some of the things they’ve learned with us and take it with them.”
Los Fresnos’ hopes for District 32-6A’s fourth and final playoff spot have dimmed over the past few weeks, but girls still prepare to play as hard as possible with Brownsville Veterans Memorial and Hanna left on the schedule.
Guevara said the team is still practicing as hard as ever, and the goal is to try to take the team’s final games and send the seniors out on high note.
“That would be nice for them,” Blackman said. “It would be nice if they could come out and finish these last (two) games strong and just remember why we want to play. Your senior year you don’t realize what you’re losing until it’s gone.”
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.