By JOSHUA McKINNEY, Staff Writer
Confidence. Poise. Those are just some of the words associated with softball’s top pitchers. Brissa Rivera has both of those and more, which is why she’s 2016’s All-Metro Pitcher of the Year.
The senior won 15 games in 27 starts, struck out 91 batters and had an ERA of 3.53 while helping the Porter Cowgirls to an 8-6 record and a playoff berth in District 32-5A.
Rivera fared well in a district with strong programs like Mercedes and PSJA High, so she surprised by coming out as the Metro-area’s top ace.
“It was very nerve wracking (going up against a tough district),” she said. “But I had to fight my way through it to get my award.”
Coach Ariel Arredondo, who finished her first year leading Porter softball, isn’t surprised by anything Rivera accomplishes.
“She is the hardest working person I know,” Arredondo said. “Her obtaining such an accomplishment is expected and deserved. She earned it. (There is) no better athlete.”
Rivera’s attitude and composure were both key to Porter’s postseason berth, and her fearless approach to pitching helped elevate the rest of her team whenever she toed the rubber.
She tried to play every game like it was her last, which made everyone around her more comfortable.
“I feel like they feel more confident when I’m pitching,” Rivera said. “They know I’ll do my job and hit my spots.”
Arredondo agrees that the senior gave the team a boost from the pitcher’s circle.
“Her leadership and taking the reins is what kept us in games,” Arredondo said. “Brissa is a gamer. Without her leadership I truly believe our girls, our team and our season would have been much different, and not in the positive.”
The future’s up in the air for Rivera. She planned on attending Texas State University in San Marcos for the fall semester, but there’s a chance she can play for Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell, Oklahoma.
Porter will miss Rivera presence in the circle but she thinks the team will be in good hands next season with freshman Brenda Garcia.
“I talked to her in our very last game and I told her, ‘You need to step up. You need to climb your expectations. You need to lead these girls to victory,’” Rivera said. “She’s in good hands. She just needs to keep practicing.”
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.