By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
The college futures of two standout athletes at Brownsville Veterans Memorial were determined Tuesday.
Swimmer Adrian Fierro and softball player Cassie Valdez signed college athletic scholarship agreements in the school library with family, fellow students, coaches and school administrators on hand to witness the event.
Fierro signed to swim for Nova Southeastern University, an NCAA Division II school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, while Valdez put her signature on a scholarship agreement to play softball for UT-San Antonio, an NCAA Division I program.
“It’s been a hectic day and I’m a little nervous,” said Valdez, who has been an exceptional softball player for the Lady Chargers since she was a freshman, playing mainly pitcher, shortstop and third base. “I’m feeling just a little bit of pressure because everyone is here (at the signing ceremony).
“This day is just a realization of what my future holds, and it’s a first step in my collegiate softball career that maybe someday leads to a professional career in the sport,” added Valdez, also a standout volleyball player who just earned District 32-5A MVP honors in that sport. She already has earned multiple MVP honors in softball.
Valdez, who is undecided on a college major at this point, last season led the 26-8 Lady Chargers to their first district title in softball while being named All-Metro MVP with a 13-5 pitching record that included 193 strikeouts and an ERA of 0.87 over 96.1 innings. Also as a junior, she also batted .471 with 13 singles, 21 doubles, nine triples and five home runs while recording 55 RBIs.
“Cassie has a special gift (to play softball),” Brownsville Veterans softball coach Rayner Cardenas said. “She may be the best player on the field, but by her demeanor, you’d never know it. That’s the way she is. She plays with a lot of passion and a lot of heart.
“This (signing) is a great accomplishment for her,” Cardenas added. “She’s put in a lot of work. Her parents (David and Jennifer Valdez) have spent a lot of resources, time and commitment just for her to be at this point (of her softball career). She’s also done her part, so I’m extremely happy for her. We’re looking forward to another special season with her before she moves on.”
Valdez said she is grateful for all her coaches, teammates and everyone who has supported her in softball and volleyball.
“I have a lot of pride for this school and I just want to represent it well,” Valdez said. “I would like to be an inspiration to anyone who comes to this school (who wants to play college athletics).”
As far as what Valdez has meant to softball in the area, the same can be said of Fierro in swimming.
His first two years of high school were spent at St. Joseph Academy, where he set two school records thanks to his standout performances in the pool. He then transferred to Brownsville Veterans as a junior and so far has set three school records for the Chargers.
“To see Adrian going to college on a swimming scholarship is fantastic,” Brownsville Veterans swimming coach Frank Sanchez said. “He’s a silent leader (for us) and he’s not going to say too much. We found that out. He does his talking in the pool. We’re blessed to have him on our team and it’s an honor to know him.”
Fierro’s primary events are the 50 and 100 freestyles. He won those events at last weekend’s Fall Festival Meet at Brownsville’s Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center. He hopes his senior season of swimming for the Chargers continues into February 2018 so he can make his first trip to the UIL state meet in Austin.
“I grew up swimming, so it’s been a goal for me (to do it in college),” said Fierro, who also swims for the club team Great Whites. “I feel that I have made steady progress (in my events) during my years of high school.”
Fierro said it’s taken discipline to do well in swimming.
“I practice from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. (weekdays) with my high school team and after school (weekdays) from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with my club team, so it takes a lot of discipline,” said Fierro, who plans to study exercise science in college. “It feels good (to be a member of the Chargers team). We’re improving.
“This (signing) feels good because I’ve been working hard for it,” he added. “I’m thankful to my coaches (Sanchez and Jose Luis Zarate) and my parents (Eduardo and Rocio Fierro) for all their help plus my teammates, too.”
When asked if it would be a big adjustment for him to move from Texas to Florida to attend college, the standout swimmer said it would be all right as long as he’s close to the coastline.
“I like the beach, so (I don’t mind),” he said.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess