By JOSHUA McKINNEY, Staff Writer
There’s one moment from the 2016 season that captures the essence of Brownsville Veterans Memorial softball.
Coach Ray Cardenas made a switch in the sixth inning with a 4-2 lead against San Benito at home, putting Mia Anzaldua at pitcher, moving Cassie Valdez to third base and Sarah Sandoval to center field.
In the seventh inning, San Benito’s Sarah Garcia launched a ball to deep right center, but Sandoval was able to track it down for the first out. Anzaldua shut down the Lady Greyhounds’ next two batter to end the inning and give Brownsville Veterans a 4-2 win against the then-top ranked team in Class 6A.
Players like Sandoval, the Metro-Area Defensive Player of the Year, and Anzaldua, the Metro-Area Newcomer of the Year, gave Cardenas the freedom to move players around and put the team in the optimal position to win.
“We have a lot of athletes,” said Cardenas, who has been named Metro-Area Coach of the Year. “We try to tell our girls not to be selfish about positions. We try to train and put them in the best position possible. That night it just worked out for us. We put probably our best athlete in the outfield knowing that anything that gets hit in the air is going to get tracked down by Sarah. She has a long stride, she’s a tall girl. Very athletic.
“Just being able to move around pieces like that when needed makes a defense stronger and feel more comfortable. It makes the pitchers feel a little more at ease also with their pitch selections when their facing batters.”
Sandoval, a senior who’s signed to play softball for Texas A&M International University in Laredo, primarily played third but also started in center field if Anzaldua pitched and even saw some action at pitcher.
“I feel pretty excited,” Sandoval said. “That made my day obviously. I didn’t expect anything. Usually I just get first-team All-Metro. It’s pretty good. I like it.”
Cardenas said that Sandoval, who also earned District 32-6A’s defensive player of the year honors, plays well enough on defense that it overshadows her offense.
“That girl can play anywhere on this field,” Cardenas said. “It’s one of those things where her defense stands out so much that you forget about her hitting. She was the second-leading hitter on the team, just a few points behind (our top hitter). She doesn’t hit for power but she will make contact and just her athleticism and speed on the bases causes problems for defenses and stuff. But you see her, you see defense. She’s a very difficult out in the batter’s box.”
Sandoval finished the season with a .477 batting average, 20 RBIs and 32 runs. Her graduation leaves a hole, but Brownsville Veterans still has plenty of talent.
Anzaldua earned newcomer honors due to her contributions both pitching and hitting. She won seven games and saved four more with 77 strikeouts and had a .419 batting average with one home run and 28 RBIs.
“For being a freshman and of small stature size wise, she plays big and has a big heart,” Cardenas said. “She’s right up there with Cassie (Valdez) when it comes to being mentally tough. For a freshman to come in, holding on to a two-run lead against San Benito and coming in trying to shut everything down, I think it says a lot about her character and her toughness. That proved to the rest of the district and the Valley that she’s also very special. There’s a lot of things that girl’s going to do hopefully by the time she graduates”
Getting to watch someone like Sandoval play at a high level and move on to the collegiate level has helped Anzaldua work hard to reach there as well.
“She’s somebody I really look up to,” Anzaldua said. “It’s been an inspiration, something that maybe I can do. Something that I have my goals set for. I can be just like her, maybe something next to that.”
Cardenas’ top coaching honor comes after winning a school-record 23 games, including wins against San Benito and Region IV-6A champions Weslaco High, and finishing second in District 32-6A. He says any honors he gets are a product of his team’s commitment to getting better.
“It’s an extremely great honor but it all goes back to my players,” Cardenas said. “The players train hard, they play hard and they play all year long. They accomplish so many things. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t get this award. This is truly all for them.
“I couldn’t say enough about my players. I love them to death. They’re the greatest group of players I’ve ever coached in my life. I’m always excited to come out here (for practice).”
Joshua McKinney covers high school sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @joshuabvherald