JAGUARS ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Family-like bond helps team reach its full potential
In the four years before Sig Rivera took over the softball program at Capital High School, the Jaguars had won a combined 14 games.
In his first two seasons with the team, Capital won 15 games and, this season, the team is on pace for a winning record, and to possibly challenge for the District 2-5A championship and a berth in the state tournament.
“We had high expectations because we had seven starters coming back,” Rivera said.
Those expectations are fueled by a group of players tired of being overlooked.
“Our program is looked down upon,” said senior pitcher Arianna Almeida. “It’s been looked down upon for a long time because of our record. We want to prove it to our community and ourselves that we … have a good team.”
The goal, she said, is to grab that postseason berth, something that is entirely within the Jaguars’ grasp.
“We have improved a lot even since last season,” Almeida said. “We want to prove to ourselves, to the community and to our school that we can do it. We know that we can do it. We’re determined to get to that spot.”
Almeida is certainly doing her part. Despite struggling some on the mound thus far, she’s hitting .500 with eight runs and setting the table for slugging senior JoJo Bowannie, who is hitting a robust .632 with nine extra-base hits — including three homers — with 15 runs and 17 RBI.
Heading into the Jaguars’ late game Thursday against Pojoaque Valley, they have a 6-2 record, with sophomore Emma George also a big contributor on offense with a .600 average with 10 runs and 10 RBI, along with junior Yamile Cota, who’s hitting .500 with nine runs, while freshman pitchers Alex Hernandez and Marley Cardenas have helped create a three-headed pitching rotation.
“The biggest plus is we have two incoming freshman who are pitchers,” Rivera said. “We have three strong pitchers. With a three-person rotation, we don’t have to rely on one pitcher. That’s huge.”
From the players’ perspective, the change in leadership has played a large role in the team’s improvement.
“I’ve been playing with the team since my eighth-grade year and the team’s improvement has been very good,” Bowannie said. “There’s been a lot of improvement compared with the way we first started out and a lot of that has to do with the coaches. Our coaches bring a lot to the table, more than just their knowledge of the game. It’s more like a fatherdaughter-like bond. They encourage and push us to do our best. They know our full potential and expect us to exceed it. I honestly believe that’s really important.”
That confidence coupled with a vigorous work ethic from the coaches has worked wonders, Almeida said.
“I played since my eighth-grade year, and (in) my eighth-grade and freshman year, we had different coaches,” she said. “Coming from one and two games a year that we won to now, they completely changed the program around each year. I have seen an incredible amount of growth. They showed us how to work as a team.”
And the seniors realize that they’ve helped the program move onto the right path for the future, no matter how this season turns out.
“I believe we’re more than a program,” Bowannie said. “We created a family-like bond I believe that’s going to last a really long time. I think it will last awhile. It won’t be temporary. It’s actually really exciting. I don’t have words to describe it. And what’s even more exciting is I’ll be able to watch my younger sisters after I’m going to graduate still be able to carry on what we’ve started.”