Cinderella Season
Softball team places third in national tourney
Author: Chuck McCollough EXPRESS-NEWS STAFF WRITER
Section: Sun - Southside
Published: August 30, 2000
The San Antonio Lady Royals, a fast-pitch softball team formed at the beginning of the summer, finished third in the nation recently after taking city and regional championships. The team, whose members range in age from 14 to 18, took the No. 3 spot in the Amateur Softball Association Western Nationals Tournament earlier this month in McAllen.
The tournament included teams from California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota and Texas.
"This team, these girls, had an unbelievable first season and one they'll probably remember for many years," said Richard Martin, Lady Royals head coach and manager.
"I certainly didn't expect the team to go as far it did at the beginning of the season. It was quite a thrill for the players and coaches," Martin said.
Fifteen-year-old Katie Connor agrees. The Judson High School sophomore played center field for the Royals and treasured the experience.
"We had a lot of fun, and it helped keep me in good shape as I start the conditioning program for the Judson softball team," she said. "Our team played better at the end of the season than any of us first thought," Connor said.
The Lady Royals team is made up of girls who have played softball for local high schools, including two players from Incarnate Word High School near downtown.
Other members of the Lady Royals team are: Marcella Duran of MacArthur High School; Andrea Maestas and Maggie Valdez of Incarnate Word High School; Samantha Calhoun, Kristin McCarty, Aubrey Dyn and Lindsay Bealor of Reagan High School; Ashley Parker, Ashley McQueen and Veronica Villarreal of Madison High School; Dana and Karen Carrizales of Roosevelt High School; and Bailey Gonzales and Leslie Fields, both of Churchill High School.
The Lady Royals had a shaky season start, their coach said, but came together as a team at just the right time.
"I think the team jelled about the time we played in the Fort Worth tourney in mid-June, and they just kept on winning," Martin said.
The Lady Royals finished third in the Cow Town Tournament on June 17-18 and then went on to capture first place in the city of San Antonio Summer League championship for their division.
In late July, the Lady Royals went to McAllen for the Texas Region 7 Amateur Softball National Qualifier.
"We played six games in that regional tournament and won five to take the first-place trophy," the coach said.
The top finishers in that tournament returned Aug. 8-13 to McAllen for the Western Nationals Tournament, where the Lady Royals won six of eight games for third place and the end of their Cinderella season.
"I am looking forward to next summer because most of this year's players will be
back for the 2001 season," Martin said.
One player who won't be back is Fields, a Lady Royals pitcher. The Churchill High School graduate won a softball scholarship to Cisco Junior College near Abilene.
"I was playing on two teams this summer, the Royals and another squad," Fields said. "I really enjoyed playing on the Royals team because we had a lot of fun and surprised a lot of people, including ourselves.
"I made a lot of new friends and had a wonderful summer," the college-bound pitcher said.
cmcc@express-news.net
Lady Royals team members are: (front row, from left) Marcella Duran, Ashley McQueen, Karen Carrizales, Samantha Calhoun, Dana Carrizales, Katie Conner, (second row) Kristina McCarty, Ashley Parker, Lindsay Bealor, Veronica Villarreal, Bailey Gonzales, Andrea Maestas, Leslie Fields, and (back row) coaches Ernest Maestas, Rudy Valdez, Richard Martin and Emilio Duran.
Copyright 2000 San Antonio Express-News
