Herald All-Metro Softball: Chargers’ Mendoza earns MVP honors
By EDWARD SEVERN
Staff Writer
Natalie Mendoza, the only senior on the Brownsville Veterans Memorial softball team, played a pivotal part in the postseason success of the Lady Chargers and is The Brownsville Herald’s 2022 All-Metro Softball Most Valuable Player.
Mendoza said the best quality she brought to the Lady Chargers was her leadership.
“I knew they relied on me, and I relied on them,” she said. “They looked up to me, and that is something I valued the most.”
The senior batted cleanup with a .548 batting average. Mendoza connected at the plate 54 times, with 24 of those being doubles, five triples and six home runs. She drove in 42 teammates.
“It is unreal,” Mendoza said. “All of the honor and glory always goes to God. I would not be able to do this without my faith. It is a blessing.”
Mendoza spent time playing second base and catcher this season for the Lady Chargers. Brownsville Veterans finished its season in the third round of the playoffs.
“(Mendoza), is probably a top-three player to walk through this campus,” Lady Chargers head coach Rayner Cardenas said. “Her play at catcher and second base was outstanding, she deserves the recognition. The leadership that she brought, that desire, fight, heart and grit, she showed the younger girls how to be a leader.”
Assistant coach Heriberto Rodriguez said the senior was an extra coach.
“(Mendoza) was the glue,” he said. “Nat would take over, speak to the girls, relay situations to them, keep them humble, ready, and she was a tremendous player.”
Offensive Player of the Year
Victoria Altamirano, Los Fresnos
When Los Fresnos needed a big hit this season, it could rely on Altamirano, a University of Incarnate Word commit.
“I am really honored. I know this year our district was really tough, there is a lot of talent in the Valley,” she said. “Getting this achievement and this award is a big deal, considering that.”
Altamirano came through with that hit for a .744 average. She smacked 61 hits, including 20 doubles, seven triples and 10 home runs. She drove in 52 runs to end her Lady Falcons career.
“I had a lot more confidence this year at the plate,” she said. “I have grown as a player, and we had a stacked lineup. We would feed off of each other, so the confidence was high for the whole team actually.”
Altamirano said her favorite offensive performance this year was against San Antonio O’Connor, the eventual Class 6A state champions. In that game, she went 3-for-4, driving in a couple of runs to keep it close, Los Fresnos lost 11-8.
“(Altamirano’s) stick was really valuable,” Los Fresnos coach Matthew Molina said. “She was on all the time, she was really hitting the ball hard. That resulted into extra bases, and they also pitched around her so much that she got on base.”
Molina also said that because pitchers knew of Altamirano’s hitting prowess, they would be forced to pitch to the batter before or after.
“There were two stretches in non-district where she would go 10-10, get an out and then go 12-12, it was crazy,” Molina said.
Defensive Player of the Year
Andrea Guevara, Los Fresnos
Guevara made the transition from second base to shortstop this season and seamlessly pulled it off. She dazzled with web-gem worthy plays and a 0.959 fielding percentage in one of the most important positions on the diamond.
“I honestly did not think I would get something like this,” she said. “I am shocked because of the position switch. I knew I could do that, but I did not think I would get an honor like this.”
Guevara said the switch was not that hard because players still have to react fast to ground balls in both positions, but the throw from shortstop is a longer throw so her hands had to be quicker.
“A big thing with Andrea was her attitude,” Molina said. “She was willing to do whatever we needed her to do for the team, which was huge. She was a vocal leader and kept the girls up.”
One of Guevara’s best plays this season came against Weslaco High.
“I made a double play that I will never forget,” Guevara said. “There was a runner on first and the best batter was up. The batter hit a shot over my head, but I jumped. I did not think I caught it, when I looked at my glove, I did. I threw out the runner and everyone was cheering.”
Molina said Guevara was the team’s comfort zone. If a ball was hit in her direction, the shortstop would be there.
Newcomer of the Year
Jenny Shank, Brownsville Lopez
Brownsville Lopez freshman Jenny Shank has a destructive bat and an arm that can shut down opponents. Shank was the most important player on a Lopez that team that made the playoffs in District 32-5A this season.
“Everything that I worked for at a young age is finally coming together,” she said.
Shank said she had a good year, but there are a lot of things she still needs to work on. They include her on-the-field performance and leadership.
“Every single game I had butterflies, I was nervous,” she said. “Once we played, I just let me do myself and went softball mode.”
The freshman’s favorite performance this year was against Brownsville Veterans, when she registered 19 strikeouts.
Shank finished the season with a .480 batting average, driving in 27 runs and hitting nine home runs. In the circle, she stuck out 210 batters this season and picked up 10 wins with a 2.22 ERA.
“(Shank) is critical,” Lopez coach Jesse Martinez said. “She is our principal pitcher, and we are building our team around her.”
The five best hitters statistically at Lopez last season were underclassmen, so Shank and Martinez are ready for the future. Martinez said the team will have two extra pitchers that could allow Shank to have an impact fielding as well.
“We have a bright future,” Martinez said. “We are looking forward to it, and we hope to be contenders. There is no reason why we should not make the playoffs. I am excited, and the coaching staff is excited.”
Coach of the Year
Heriberto Rodriguez, Brownsville Veterans
An illness struck Brownsville Veterans head coach Rayner Cardenas this season, sidelining him for all of the team’s District 32-5A games and the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Rodriguez, Cardenas’ assistant coach, stepped up and took over the reins as the Lady Chargers advanced to the third round of the playoffs.
“This is a surprise, I thought Rayner (Cardenas) was joking with me when he told me,” Rodriguez said. “I am honored to receive this award, Rayner is my good friend, and it affected every one when he was gone, especially the girls.”
Before Rodriguez was a Chargers assistant, he was the head coach at Brownsville Lopez. After playing college baseball, Rodriguez played men’s fastpitch softball.
“What he did for me, for the girls and the program was awesome,” Cardenas said. “It says a lot about him and his knowledge, the coach and the person he is, as well as my other assistant coaches, Monika Mata and Leo Rodriguez.”
Cardenas also said the assistants had to coach the junior varsity teams and take care of the other logistics required of the head coach. Cardenas said they did it with no hiccups.
Rodriguez praised Cardenas’ ability to lead the team and said he tried to put himself in his shoes when speaking to the team.
“We were not perfect,” Rodriguez said. “We made a lot of mistakes when he was gone. The girls believed in what the program prepared them for. It was hard for the girls when he went down, and the girls responded. I believe they played for him.”
