BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
Nery Bustos knows her way around the Tigers’ softball diamond. She attended Valley View and played softball for the Tigers, but now Bustos has another connection to the program: head coach.
“Coach” is a title Bustos is still getting used to. She had no previous coaching experience before earning the Valley View job.
“It was hard coming in, because I had so much to learn, and the kids had so much to learn, but we’ve been working together as a team,” Bustos said. “We’re learning as we go. Every day is something new.”
Last season, the Tigers went 1-15 in District 31-5A play. Despite having a new coach who plays as many as nine regular starters who are either freshmen or sophomores, Valley View (7-9) wrapped up the first half of the district schedule Tuesday night with a 3-5 record.
“We’ve been trying to change their work ethic this year,” Bustos said. “They’re very inexperienced when it comes to in-game situations, but they have so much natural talent. We’re trying to start a culture for them to believe that they can become a championship team if they put their head and heart into it.”
Two Tigers who have taken giant steps forward are sophomore pitcher Loremi Cantu and freshman catcher Kassandra Gordillo.
“Loremi has worked hard all year long,” Bustos said. “She had her mind set that she was going to make things happen for us, and she’s come through.”
Gordillo bats cleanup for the Tigers and has already proved her worth as an offensive threat in the lineup, compiling 20 hits and 16 runs batted in.
“She’s never played before, but she has perfect timing to see the ball,” Bustos said. “To her, it looks natural with Kassandra. She’s come up with the bases loaded before, and I’d tell her, ‘This is where you want to be,’ and she’s delivered with extra-base hits.”
The Tigers’ 3-5 district record places them two games behind Laredo Cigarroa (5-3) for the final playoff spot with eight games remaining. Valley View has never made the playoffs in school history.
“We have an eye on the playoffs,” Bustos said. “We know we can upset a couple teams in the second round coming up. We’ve been going over film, so we know what to expect the next time we see each team. Hopefully, we can slip into the playoffs at the end of the season.”