WESLACO — Jules Garcia remembers her first home run. Playing during a middle school softball game for her then-team the Crush, Garcia hit what she described as a “moonshot” out of the park.
“I went crazy. Then I saw everybody going crazy. My parents went crazy. It was just an unbelievable feeling,” Garcia said. “That rush that it gave me, it made me want to keep working hard. As soon as I came to high school it started showing.
“Every home run comes with this rush, especially in some situations that you’re in. It’s just an unbelievable and unexplainable feeling.”
Garcia chased that feeling during her four-year career at Weslaco High. As a senior, her big-hit capability shone through, tallying nine home runs. Still, Garcia’s power at the plate is just a small glimpse into her offensive capability.
The Panthers’ catcher helped power Weslaco’s offense this season, going 52-of-118 at the plate for a .441 batting average while adding 42 RBIs along with her nine home runs.
Garcia is The Monitor’s 2022 All-Area Softball Offensive Player of the Year.
“It just truly shows that hard work pays off,” she said. “Throughout all four years of my high school career, I’ve never been the sharpest but as soon as I started putting in that work it started to show as the years went by. Every year I just continued to work harder and harder. I tested my full potential and it showed.”
Garcia had a knack for the big play this season, coming up with timely hits when her team needed them. During a nine-inning battle against Los Fresnos, she delivered a two-run double to left centerfield in the top of the ninth to spark the Panthers’ 6-3 victory.
The win proved crucial down the line, helping give Weslaco an edge in the District 32-6A standings.
“She has a presence at the plate whether she’s batting or catching,” Weslaco High head coach Mario Rodriguez said. “That’s why we always put her up in the first three or four spots in the lineup. I wanted the other teams to see her early and let her make an impact. She was just spectacular for us.”
One of Garcia’s biggest hits of the year came during the fourth round of the postseason. After struggling early, going 0-for-3 at the plate, Garcia connected for a two-run bomb during the top of the seventh to secure the Panthers’ victory during Game 1 of the best-of-3 series.
“It’s just of about staying in a good mental state. You can’t let it get to your head when you have those lows but also when you have those highs,” Garcia said. “Hitting success comes with a lot of highs and lows. Softball is a sport of failures. Even when you don’t have a very good day, you just have to go back to work, pray for the best and keep working.”
The Panthers went on to win the series and advance to the Region IV-6A finals before falling to eventual state champion San Antonio O’Connor.
With her high school career in the books, Garcia is gearing up to continue chasing the feeling of her first home run at the next level, signing to play at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi earlier this year.
