All-Valley Softball: Jasso tops star-studded lineup

As recently as last year, Amber Jasso was a huge fan of the San Benito Lady ‘Hounds. She’d watch their games from the stands and likely think about her eventual time in the purple & gold.

However, as a freshman this season, Jasso was a spectator no more. She, in fact, became a main attraction.

But she’s still a fan.

In her first season as the Lady ’Hounds’ ace, Jasso played a major role in helping them become the first Valley team to advance to the Region IV-5A finals, or the Elite 8.

For her efforts and remarkable campaign, Jasso is the 2011 Valley Freedom Newspapers All-Valley Softball Player of the Year.

"I was surprised when I heard I got this award," Jasso said. "I didn’t expect this because there are a lot of good players out there. But I couldn’t have done it without my teammates."

Jasso is the first freshman to receive the honor in recent memory. She pitched, batted and ran her way to the honor, and skipper Elias Martinez wasn’t all that surprised.

"She’s the total package," Martinez said. "She’s great on the mound and great as our leadoff hitter. And once she got on the bases, she was able to create havoc with her speed."

Surprising was Jasso’s diminutive stature. She stands about 4-foot-10 and can’t likely go too far over 100 pounds soaking wet. But she’s got exceptional speed, agility and overall softball savvy that allows her to compete with just about anybody.

BLENDING IN

Stepping into the shoes of JoAnn Herrera was no easy task for Jasso. Herrera was a former All-Valley MVP and four-year starter for San Benito, who graduated last June and left to play for Texas Southern.

But Jasso wasn’t the typical freshman. She was much heralded and many in the softball loop awaited her arrival. She’d shined in the summer and fall leagues as one of the best prospects in the area and was just about a household name.

Case in point, she was in attendance at San Benito’s regional quarterfinal loss to Edinburg in 2010. As the Lady ’Hounds were eliminated in three games, much of the buzz in the stands was about Jasso and her anticipated spot as Herrera’s successor.

Jasso, the freshman, took to the team like a fish put back into water. She swam right with the Lady ’Hounds and became ‘one of the girls.’ All season long, many of the team members noted the chemistry on the club, which included Jasso.

Jasso noted her goal was to be on the varsity and she’d stop at nothing to get there.

"No, I would have pushed myself even harder to make the varsity," said Jasso when asked if she would have settled for a freshman or junior varsity roster spot. "I just wanted to play and I was hoping to make the varsity team."

She did a lot more than that.

"She came in with a big reputation," Martinez said. "The question was how she was gonna handle pitching with us at this level. I’ll tell you what; she was a great pitcher for us that was able to handle the pressure. Our older girls accepted her and took her under their wing. She was just phenomenal."

SPECIAL SEASON

Indeed, the buildup was spot on as Jasso didn’t disappoint.

Jasso and the Lady ’Hounds won a tourney title and two runner-up finishes en route to taking 21 of their first 23 games after a dominating first-round sweep of District 32-5A. Jasso was the talk of the Valley softball scene as she gave up just one earned run and carried a lengthy scoreless inning streak.

After dropping their only district game to Los Fresnos on April 8, San Benito did not lose again until the fifth round of the playoffs against San Antonio O’Connor, a streak of 11 straight, including a grueling postseason.

"Her best asset was her mental toughness. She came in and knew what she had to do," Martinez said of Jasso. "She made the transition from the summer leagues where she had to do a lot. With us, she learned to rely on her defense and just get the out. Luckily for us, she understood that quicker than later."

Jasso and the Lady ’Hounds earned a tough sweep over Harlingen before thumping Eagle Pass Winn in a one-gamer, then a tough sweep of Edinburg North in the regional quarters was followed by the Sweet 16 vs. San Antonio Southwest.

San Benito won those games 3-2 and 1-0 (Jasso scored the lone run in Game 2) to become the first Valley club to get past the round of 16. O’Connor dominated them in the regional final, but history had been made.

"I’d never felt anything like that before playing softball," Jasso said. "Making history getting to the Elite 8 was a great feeling."

The experience was one she’ll never forget, Jasso said.

"It takes a lot of work," she said. "A lot of work to get there, but all my teammates helped us get there."

For the season, Jasso finished with a 33-5 record and an amazing 255 strikeouts. In 212 total innings, 180 of them were scoreless. She allowed only 60 runs in her 38 starts.

Her hitting was just as vital. At the top of the San Benito lineup, Jasso slapped her way to a .330 mark with a .492 on base percentage. She scored 55 total runs and stole nearly 30 bases.

Overall, Jasso set the bar high for next season, Martinez said. But that isn’t necessarily a problem. For a program that’s boasted some of the Valley’s best pitching talent over the years, Jasso has a chance to be another one of the Lady ’Hound greats.

"She will be, when all is said and done," Martinez said. "Amber’s a tremendous athlete with a tremendous work ethic to match. Nothing fazes her. She’s so mentally strong. She ranks up there with the best we’ve ever had. Lucky for us, we have her three more years."

Martinez guides San Benito through historic season

Elias Martinez is no stranger to winning.

In his 13 seasons as skipper for the San Benito Lady ’Hounds, Martinez’s teams have never missed the playoffs, won several 32-5A championships and totaled countless playoff victories.

But the 2011 campaign was special in its own right and will stand alone for many years to come.

The accomplishments were many. San Benito set a school record for wins (33) took back the district title, made its fourth regional semifinal appearance and the cherry on top was a berth in the Region IV-5A finals, or Elite 8. The Lady ’Hounds became the first Valley team to go five rounds deep in the postseason since the sport debuted in the mid-1990s.

For the special season, Martinez is once again the Valley Freedom Newspapers’ All-Valley Coach of the Year.

"It never gets old," Martinez said with a laugh. "Every year’s a new challenge and to win this is a tremendous honor. It speaks well for our program, our girls and this is an awesome honor you never get tired of winning. It’s the culmination of hard work from our girls, our coaching staff and everybody."

With so many accolades and feats for his teams, Martinez could be used to the attention. But if his clubs keep raising the bar, he’ll be in line for a whole lot more.

‘HANDLING THE PRESSURE’

One of Martinez’s favorite coachspeak terms is "handling the pressure."

He constantly refers to it when talking about a big game or a big-time player. How can they handle the pressure?

When the tables are turned, how does Martinez handle the pressure?

In softball-crazed San Benito, head softball coach is a high-profile position that’s akin to head football coach, police chief, city manager or superintendent. All of the city’s backstops are occupied and most of those eyes are always on the Lady ’Hounds.

"Being the head softball coach here is a tremendous honor," said Martinez, a 1979 San Benito graduate. "I’m well-known here, I guess. There’s always pressure, but we put more pressure on ourselves with our high expectations."

At all Lady ’Hound games, home or away, their devoted legion of fans follows. So the pressure and tense atmosphere is there. But Martinez deals with it with ease.

"It’s a challenge every year and I love it," he said. "That’s why I’m still coaching. We enjoy these challenges of replacing girls that graduate. It’s easy to get to the top of the mountain, but the hard part is staying there."

Martinez knows all about the program. After a long stint as P.E. coach at Ed Downs Elementary, he eventually made the move to the high school were he helped Butch Brotherton start the softball program in 1994.

"When we started the program, I was the varsity assistant," he said. "It feels good to be a part of something from the beginning in your hometown. It was a new sport for everybody. I’d coached and played baseball before, but it’s like I tell everyone, once you coach softball, you can’t go back to baseball. It’s too slow."

ONE FOR THE AGES

There was nothing slow about San Benito’s start to the season. They won 21 of their first 23 games and had a tourney title (La Joya) and two-runner up finishes (Mission, Corpus Christi) before jumping into district.

San Benito started the district slate 8-0 and won those games by a combined 101-1 score. By that time, the Lady ’Hounds were the No. 1 team in the Valley and were cruising right along.

"When we got our girls from basketball, we were doing great and did better," he said.

There were some challenges afterward. San Benito fell to Los Fresnos at home and nearly blew a big lead the next game at Weslaco before winning by one. Then in bi-district, Harlingen proved stubborn and gave them all they could handle, including a tight Game 2, which San Benito wound up winning to advance.

But all of those tests made them tougher, Martinez said.

"You can play at a level for so long and we went through a little lull there," he said. "But you’ve got to lose so you can win, if that makes sense. We got a little complacent there and all of those games helped us. They told us that we had to work harder."

San Benito ousted Eagle Pass Winn and a tough series with Edinburg North before a Sweet 16 match with San Antonio Southwest.

The Lady ’Hounds swept the Dragons in a nip-and-tuck series to become the Valley’s first softball team to advance to the regional finals. There, they met eventual-state runner up San Antonio O’Connor, which proved to be just too big of a challenge.

But the history had been made. And the season as a whole will be viewed as a benchmark for others.

"For us to get to the Elite 8 with just eight teams left in Texas was an experience that my girls and I and the Valley will never forget," he said. "It was the first time in history and it was just an awesome ride. We’ve got some great athletes coming back next year and it’ll be a great challenge to replicate the success of this year."

Hawks’ Alejandro, Cards’ leal, Mchi’s Sanchez head first-team

Every time Chelsie Alejandro took the ball for Harlingen South, the Lady Hawks’ senior gave it her all.

The proof was in her season.

Alejandro helped a young South team reach the regional quarterfinals and was in the center circle more often than not.

The District 31-5A Most Valuable Player pitched healthy and pitched hurt. But she still had a solid year.

For her campaign, Alejandro is the 2011 Valley Freedom Newspapers All-Valley Pitcher of the Year.

"Chelsie was our workhorse this season," South coach Debbie Esparza said. "She pitched well for us and she pitched a lot of games while she was hurting. But she really came on toward the end of the season and the playoffs."

Alejandro went 21-11 for the Lady Hawks and racked up 166 strikeouts along the way. She gave up just 113 hits and 68 runs in 182 innings as South’s main pitching option.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

There’s no doubt that Krista Leal is one of the most feared hitters in Valley softball.

The Harlingen High catcher has made a name for herself as one of the toughest backstops and best hitters in the area.

The 2011 season was no exception. And the scary thing is it could have likely been better.

Still, she batted .621 and was among the Valley leaders in home runs (7). She was walked 18 times, 14 of those intentional as a sign of respect. For her efforts, Leal is the All-Valley Offensive Player of the Year.

Battling injuries through the heart of the district season, Leal missed some contests as the Lady Cards struggled. However, she returned to the lineup and guided a young pitching staff back to the postseason.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Looking back at arguably the best softball season in school history, McHi had plenty of faces step up and have a hand in the Lady Bulldogs’ success.

One of those faces was Zabannah Sanchez.

The freshman pitcher made her mark all over the field and helped McHi share the first district title and win the first bi-district championship in the program’s history.

Her strong season earned Sanchez the All-Valley Newcomer of the Year honor.

"She was a big surprise for us," McHi coach Ruth Garcia said of Sanchez. "We’d heard about her, but when we saw her in action, she impressed us on how much she grew from game to game."

Sanchez started 30 games as McHi’s pitcher and had four shutouts, four one-hitters and four saves. She struck out 137 and walked just 32. At the plate, Sanchez was brilliant, hitting .523 with a .738 slugging percentage and 21 RBIs.

But it was in the circle where she was in the biggest spotlight.

"I think she came with a tenacious attitude to succeed on the mound," Garcia said. "One thing we liked was she’s very coachable. She’d execute whatever we told her. She learned to grow as the season went on. You could see the confidence."

ALL-VALLEY FIRST TEAM

There’s a host of talent on the Valley’s elite softball club.

The pitching staff consists of Edinburg’s Samantha Arciba, Edinburg North’s Annie Badillo and Mercedes hurler Stephanie Flores. Arciba and Badillo were first-team 31-5A picks while Flores was the 32-4A Defensive Player of the Year.

Handling the catching duties is Edinburg North slugger Victoria Cardenas, also on 31-5A’s first team.

At first base is Lyford’s Renee Chavez, who batted .514 for the Lady Bulldogs’ playoff team.

At second is 32-5A co-MVP Adriana "Squirt" Flores of San Benito. Her teammate, shortstop Amanda Garza, was also a 32-5A co-MVP and mans short.

Third base is held down by Edinburg’s Torie DeLeon, who overcame an early injury to help the Lady Bobcats back to the Sweet 16.

The outfield is made up of McHi’s Kim Martinez, Weslaco’s Angela Johnson and Edinburg’s Leann Hinojosa. Martinez and Johnson were first team all-district picks and Hinojosa was 31-5A’s Utility Player of the Year.

Sharyland’s Dru Marmolejo is the utility player. The 30-5A MVP played pitcher, shortstop and second base for the co-champ Lady Rattlers.

Last but certainly not least, Edcouch-Elsa’s Faith Escobar is the designated hitter. Escobar was the 32-4A co-offensive player of the year.