LYFORD — San Benito’s Megan Cavazos will be one of a handful of the Rio Grande Valley’s best playing softball for the University of Texas at Dallas come fall.
Cavazos and three teammates from the RGV Heat select team — Harlingen South’s Alyssa Ledesma, Edcouch-Elsa’s Kailey Gonzales and Kassidie Rodriguez of Mercedes — had a joint signing ceremony May 10, pledging to continue their careers with the Comets. Cavazos and Co. will be competing in the American Southwest Conference at the NCAA Division III level.
“It was very special for me because it’s been a dream of mine since I first started playing softball,” Cavazos said. “Me and my dad have been working so hard for it, all the hours we’ve put in, and it felt good to see how proud he was. It was a pretty great moment for all my family.”
Cavazos has been playing softball with two of her future teammates for half of her life. Going to college with friends and knowing they’ll have chemistry on the diamond from Day 1 makes the opportunity more special for Cavazos, and has her excited for the next journey.
Playing at UT-Dallas has been a goal for Cavazos for several years. She took a few other campus visits and connected with several college coaches, but something about UTD just felt right. When coach Sarah Morales made the offer, even after Cavazos was sidelined for an extended time due to shoulder surgery, it was an easy decision to accept.
“(Recruitment) was a pretty crazy process,” Cavazos said. “My sophomore year was when coaches started getting in contact with me. I was going to a lot of showcase tournaments and seeing a lot of different colleges there. I started emailing colleges that I was interested in.
“UT-Dallas really caught my eye as soon as I stepped on the campus. The atmosphere just felt like home. I was hooked on UT-Dallas from the start, pretty much, so I just kept going to their camps and getting in touch with the coaches, and eventually it worked out for me,” she added. “Whenever (Morales) told me she really wanted me to be a part of her program, it was a really great feeling.”
Cavazos filled a number of positions while at San Benito and is expecting her versatility to transition to the college level. She said Morales is considering using her at second base or in the outfield, but also appreciates her pitching abilities. Cavazos has been working hard during the summer to be prepared for anything when she heads to Dallas.
“During the season I wasn’t very confident in my pitching because of my shoulder surgery, and I was just getting back into hitting,” Cavazos said. “I’ve been working on all those skills and fielding, so I can adjust more in college. (Morales) likes that I’m an all-around player, so I might play a spot that’s new to me, but I’m not nervous about it.”
Cavazos said her father played a big part in her softball journey, as did RGV Heat coach Kevin Kanipe. She credited her father for his patience and support from the beginning of her career. She thanked Kanipe for helping her connect with colleges and boosting her skills.
The four-year Lady Greyhounds letterwinner will be studying criminology at UTD with plans to pursue a career as a forensic psychologist or maybe a lawyer. She learned a lot from her time at San Benito and plans to use those lessons to make her a better student-athlete in college.
“Playing with the Lady ’Hounds, we had ups and downs, but I think mentally it really pushed me to my limits and made me want to be a better softball player. There were times I won’t forget, and it’ll push me in my training and hopefully make me better,” Cavazos said.
