Harlingen High's Garcia pitches her way to All-Valley MVP

If Jennifer Garcia wanted to end her high school career with a bang, then that didn't happen.

Ka-boom! was more like it.

With magnificent numbers to go along with perhaps the most successful softball season in Harlingen history, Garcia has pitched her way to the 2009 Valley Freedom Newspapers' All-Valley Most Valuable Player award.

"I'm really honored to get this award," Garcia said. "I didn't expect to get MVP.

"We had a great season that was a lot better than last year. The way we all worked together made it special."

Garcia went 23-4 overall and led the Valley in strikeouts (301) in 177 innings pitched. She averaged over 11 Ks per game and sported an ERA of 0.51. Opponents batted .136 against her. In addition, her 71 1/3 consecutive innings of scoreless ball, one no-hitter and three one-hitters enabled the Lady Cards to share their first district title in 11 seasons (PSJA North). Harlingen also advanced to the Class 5A regional semifinals (Sweet 16) for the first time ever.

"The thing I appreciate more than the great effort she gave us was that she's a tremendous young lady," Harlingen skipper Lance White said. "She's absolutely a tremendous kid. Seeing the mentality she had every time she went out, it was an honor to coach her."

EXPECT GREAT THINGS

Garcia, who was the All-Valley Pitcher of the Year after last season, came into her senior campaign with lofty goals.

Along with her teammates, Garcia was hoping to hoist a 31-5A league trophy at the end of the year.

"We had two freshmen come out and they were great infielders," Garcia said of Lynette Hernandez and Krista Leal. "All of us seniors wanted to win district and go as far as we could in the playoffs."

The result was an awesome season that saw the Lady Cards develop into one of the Valley's premier clubs.
After falling to San Benito the past two seasons, Garcia and the Lady Cards finally cleared that hurdle this year.

Harlingen edged the Lady 'Hounds 4-3 on the road to ensure a trip to the Sweet 16.

Despite falling to Austin Bowie, Garcia said the trip to the fourth round was one she'll never forget.

"It was a really good experience," she said. "Especially for the younger girls, but also for the seniors. For us to go out and make it to the Sweet 16 in our last game together was special."

HEAD GAME

Along with the gaudy statistics, as White alluded to, Garcia's mental toughness is just as, if not more, impressive.

"The thing about Jen that I think is her greatest attribute is her mental toughness," White said. "There's girls faster than her out there. But you weren't gonna beat her. What went on between her ears was a big part of it. She's such a tough kid."

Time and again, the expression on Garcia's face didn't change.

Whether the Lady Cards were behind (which wasn't often) or ahead, Garcia's demeanor never wavered.

"Some kids get down when they get two or three hits on them," White said. "But the mental aspect is what differentiated her from all the other kids. There are some great pitchers out there, but she was just mentally in a zone that was rare.

If we were up 9-0 or losing 9-0, you couldn't tell. Her face never showed. She was a rock mentally."

COME TOGETHER

Always the team player, Garcia pointed to the team's cohesiveness as a highlight to the special season.
"Everybody just came together and got along," she said. "And for the seniors...we'd played together since we were little."
Garcia hopes to continue her softball career in the college ranks, and is currently in the process of looking at several schools and scholarship offers.

COACH OF THE YEAR

All Lance White needed was a chance.

And what's he's done with it is nothing short of spectacular.

In his third season, White guided the Harlingen Lady Cards to a share of the 31-5A championship, their first since 1998.

But the good times didn't stop there.

White and his club won three playoff series over tough opponents en route to Harlingen's first-ever trip to the Sweet 16. They finished 25-9 overall. For the magnificent season he and his team experienced, White is the 2009 Valley Freedom Newspapers' All-Valley Coach of the Year.

"It's very special," he said. "This year was special for me to watch our girls mature and pull together. The winning was great, but they were a great bunch of kids to work with."

The Lady Cards were one of two Valley teams in the regional semifinals (Lyford), where they succumbed to Austin Bowie.

White, a Harlingen graduate, got his start at HHS a long time ago, and the season was perhaps a culmination of the hard work of a special team as well as a special coach.

WAITING GAME

In a career that's spanned almost 25 years at Harlingen, White was a longtime assistant, notably as former boys' basketball coach Carl Owens' assistant for 14 seasons in two different stints.

When Owens resigned in 2003, White was one of the applicants for the job, but things didn't work out.

At that point, White was at a career crossroads.

"I went to coach (Randy) Cretors and told him I didn't want to leave Harlingen. It's my home," he recalled. "There was a softball spot and baseball was always my favorite sport, so that's how it went."

Softball was indeed the answer.

During his three years as an assistant/sub-varsity coach, White found his niche with the girls' game.

"I ended up liking it," White said. "We had good kids and won a district championship."

When the varsity job came open before the 2007 season, White took over and it's been a steady progression to this point.
Harlingen went 19-10 his first year, losing in bi-district. Then the Lady Cards went 20-11 and fell in bi-district to San Benito for the second straight season. But those campaigns set the table for a magical 2009.

WHAT A YEAR

From the start, White's Lady Cards were pegged as one of the teams to beat thanks to a solid returning cast around all-everything pitcher Jennifer Garcia.

"There's a lot of good teams in our district," White said. "I felt like a lot of returning kids, our expectations were high. Our goal from the beginning was to be district champions. We didn't want to end with that, but that was the primary goal."

Harlingen played solid ball, however Garcia went down with an injury and missed the district opener against Edinburg North.
Ironically, White said that his club's 4-3 loss to a then red-hot Cougars team was the indicator of something special.

"Jen was hurt, Megan (Adams) pitched a great game and we played real good defense," White said. "We went toe to toe with them (Edinburg North) and I knew that once we got Jen back, we were gonna be pretty salty."

They were.

Behind solid all-around play and a 71 1/3 scoreless inning streak in center circle from Garcia, Harlingen shot out to first place and finished tied with PSJA North for the crown. After the swine flu fiasco, Harlingen finally beat Hanna in bi-district, and raised plenty of eyebrows (except their own) after a sweep of a talented Sharyland team in area.

That set up the rematch with San Benito with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. At a jam-packed Lady 'Hound Field, the Lady Cards built a 4-0 lead and held on for a 4-3 win over San Benito to punch their ticket to the fourth round.

"It was a strange year, but we had the talent to compete with anybody. It was just a matter of getting on the same page," White said. "It was a special group and I'll always be appreciative for what they did for the program."

PITCHER, OFFENSIVE PLAYER, NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Roxanne Rodriguez had quite the career.

The PSJA North hurler who splashed onto the scene in 2006 was a mainstay among the Valley's elite beginning as a freshman.
Her 2009 senior campaign was another awe-inspiring one.

Rodriguez went 29-8 overall, with 281 strikeouts and just 35 walks in 201 innings pitched. The opposition batted a paltry .165 against her and her ERA was a miniscule 0.85.

For her efforts, Rodriguez is the All-Valley Pitcher of the Year.

"She did a great job for us. She's just an unbelievable pitcher," PSJA North coach Johnny Medrano said. "Pitchers like her don't come around very often, and it's been a joy having her.

Over her four-year high school career, Rodriguez racked up 1,039 strikeouts and is the Lady Raiders' all-time leader in numerous statistical categories.

"She set the standard for everyone else," Medrano said. "But it wasn't all about records for her. She was a team player and that showed especially her senior year."

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Simply put, Rocio Valle is dangerous with a bat in her hands.

The Porter catcher was once again one of the area's best sluggers, earning her All-Valley Offensive Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive season. In her junior year, Valle batted .421 for the year, slamming eight home runs and notching an amazing .884 slugging percentage. She had 40 total base hits. Perhaps just as impressive, Valle was intentionally walked on several occasions, as opposing teams opted not to take any chances.

"She's just a natural hitter," Porter skipper Luis Guevara said. "She's got a real good eye for the ball and she's extremely strong.

"Rocio's one of those hitters that you know something's gonna happen when she goes up to bat."

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

There's something about those Lyford freshmen each season.

First baseman Renee Chavez led the Lady Bulldogs by batting .467 for the year and smacking 42 hits, three of those home runs, in 90 at-bats. She was also a solid defensive performer at first base and was a part of the Lady Bulldogs' first-ever Sweet 16 team. Chavez garners All-Valley Newcomer honors, a year after teammate Katrina Zamorano won the award.

"Going into the season, we knew what she could do," Lyford skipper Eloy Perez said. "She's a great hitter and is very good defensively.

Chavez's active bat came through in the area round of the playoffs against Pearsall, hitting one out at Alice that proved to be the winning run.

"She's quick and can control the bat very well," Perez said. "She's a pleasure to coach and I'm ecstatic that we'll have her another three years."

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