San Benito coaches have hands in playoff run

SAN BENITO — Now in his 13th season, San Benito coach Elias Martinez has long been a face of Lady ’Hound Softball.

But along the way, he’s had plenty of help in the dugout.

This season, assistants Gilbert Rodriguez and Lamar Lewis helped Martinez guide the Lady ’Hounds (34-3) to this weekend’s 5A Region-IV final series against San Antonio O’Connor (31-4).

This is the Valley’s first foray into the Elite 8 and Martinez knows that while the club on the field does the hard work, the coaching staff has also had a hand in the historic run.

“Like the saying goes, a coach is only as good as his supporting staff,” Martinez said. “These guys are great coaches. They’re dedicated and there are no issues when we have discussions. It’s always what’s best for the team.

I don’t know everything and I don’t claim to,” he continued. “If there’s something they want to implement, we talk about it. They’re very open-minded.”

Lewis, who coaches the outfield and hitting, joined the Lady ’Hounds last season. To be a part of the magical run is something truly worthwhile, he said.

“It’s very special,” he said of the playoff run. “I’m just soaking in every moment. Chances like this don’t come around very often.”

The starting outfield of Yesenia Penablanca, Dorothy Millan and Mel Ramirez has been a model of consistency this season. Perhaps no better example of that came last weekend against San Antonio Southwest.

“They’re hard workers,” Lewis said of the outfield. “They got the routine catches and made some spectacular ones against Southwest. I can’t say enough about them.”

Rodriguez, meanwhile, is in his first year with the Lady ’Hounds. He previously worked with San Benito’s baseball team. He works primarily as pitching coach with freshman pitcher Amber Jasso and backstop Giselle Tamayo.

“This is an awesome experience,” Rodriguez said. “Especially having come in this season. I had to fill the big shoes of the pitching coach who was here before.”

Working with Jasso, one of the Valley’s top pitchers, and Tamayo, who took over the catching job full time this year, has been a pleasant experience, he said.

“We didn’t really know each other but we’re on the same page,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve clicked since the first practices. They know what to expect.”

Martinez, who works with the infield a lot of the time, said both coaches have brought a fresh perspective and enthusiasm to this year’s club.

“This is probably one of the younger staffs we’ve had,” Martinez said. “But they do a lot of things that aren’t seen. They’ve brought energy to the team and that’s helped us out tremendously.”

One thing Lewis noticed about this year’s club and its success is the cohesiveness of the group.

“They’re self-motivated and they just came together,” he said. “They get along and have a great chemistry.”

For Rodriguez, his new sport has left quite the impression.

“Softball is a quick game and it keeps you on your toes,” he said. “I love it and we as coaches love it.”

Armando Garza covers high school softball for Valley Freedom Newspapers. He can be reached at 956-430-6255 or at armandog@valleystar.com