Vasquez getting an opportunity to shine at TSU

Cheryl Vasquez was a standout right-handed pitcher on the Porter softball team for four years. Now she’s getting a chance to make a name for herself on the college level at Texas Southern University.

Vasquez, who ranked among the top 10 percent academically of her 2010 graduating class at Porter, began her freshman year at TSU last week. In addition to playing softball for the Tigers, Vasquez is quite busy as a student, taking 19 hours while enrolled in a pharmacy honors program.

Her future is full of opportunity, and she is very grateful that her future includes softball. Vasquez said TSU is scheduled to play its first fall game Sept. 4.

"Playing softball was what I loved most about high school," she said. "I have so many (good) memories of playing at Porter.

"It’s really good to have this opportunity (to play) at Texas Southern," she added. "I’m excited about it. Being at Porter gave me the extra push I needed to play in college."

Last season as a Porter senior, Vasquez went 29-3, including 14-0 in District 32-5A, with a school-record 251 strikeouts while recording 18 shutouts along with six no-hitters. Over four years, Vasquez went 106-25. As a freshman, she finished 10-4 in 32-5A before recording 14-0 district marks during each of her next three seasons.

Porter finished second in 32-5A when Vasquez was a freshman. The Cowgirls captured the district title when she was a sophomore, a junior and a senior. Vasquez earned All-Valley, all-district and All-Metro honors during her time pitching for the Cowgirls.

"I think Cheryl will fare very well at Texas Southern as long as she stays healthy and focused," Porter softball coach Luis Guevara said. "She shows tremendous dedication and determination to reach her goals. She’s very goal-oriented and a good student."

Citing an example of Vasquez’s dedication, the Porter coach said his four-year standout pitcher shed 55 pounds during her first three years with the Cowgirls. By the time she was a senior, she had slimmed down considerably. Losing the weight ultimately helped open the door for her to play in college.

"It was a matter of self-motivation, actually," Vasquez said. "You want to be a leader and lead the team (especially as an upperclassman). Whenever we would run (during practice), I was finishing last, so I had to do something."

Vasquez said she has many people to thank for the development of her softball skills. She said they include Cesar Guajardo, her father, along with Telin Torres, a pitching coach, and Adam Arredondo, who told the TSU coaches about her abilities. Ariel Arredondo, Adam’s daughter and a 2006 Hanna graduate, just completed her four-year career playing for the Tigers. She was an all-conference performer.

Also, Vasquez said she appreciates all the help she received from her Porter coaches, including Guevara and Jesse Martinez, whose daughter Abby also played at TSU last year.

"They’ve all helped me get to where I am and I’m thankful for them," she said.

Vasquez said she is especially looking forward to the arrival of Rocio Valles, her former teammate and catcher at Porter, who is planning to play softball at TSU starting next semester. As a senior, Valles was the 2010 All-Valley offensive player of the year after hitting 14 home runs, which was a Valley single-season record. Last season at Porter, Valles batted .451 with 30 RBIs while being intentionally walked 26 times.

"I can’t wait for Rocio to get here," Vasquez said. 

Roy Hess writes for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him via e-mail at rhess@brownsvilleherald.com.