Softball season is over and so are the South High softball careers of seniors Nicole Perez Hernandez, Nelly Anguiano and Esthefany Contreras.
Contreras played softball all four years of her high school career; she played on varsity as the starting catcher and as a utility player. Contreras said she had softball experience before high school because she learned from her sister. When asked about her motivation to push through the season, she said, “I was a senior and had to, but the friendships also pushed me through.” She added that being a student athlete was difficult, but it helped Contreras to learn to “manage school and my sport.” When asked how South softball has personally influenced her, she said that it got her “to love the sport again.”
Anguiano also played the sport all four years of high school as a varsity player as a pitcher and utility. She said she began playing her freshman year and had to work very hard to get to where she is now. “It was hard freshman year, but then I went to winter and summer conditioning, and then I started learning and understanding the game,” she said.
Anguiano explained some of the factors that helped motivate her. “Some of the girls, if I was having a bad game, would come up to me and motivate me and tell me it’s OK, and just by having them I knew I could push through.” Anguiano described herself as successful in the game as she was “a fast learner.” When reflecting on how South softball has affected her personally, she said that it made her “tougher and more open to things. It also taught me how to fail at something and be OK with it and not hard on myself.”
Perez played three years of high school softball as an outfielder and first baseman. Perez said she had no softball experience before high school but explained what it took to get her to where she is now. “It was a bit difficult my first year. My dad pushed me to work harder, and I pushed myself to be better, and sometimes I practiced outside of school with him,” she said.
Perez reflected on how she personally feels about her success, saying, “I would say I’ve gotten more successful over the years especially my senior year. I’ve gotten more confident while playing.” South softball has impacted Perez by teaching her “how to work better in a team environment and how to communicate better with others.”
All three seniors say that their best team experience was team dinners and car rides together. Injuries seem to be the worst experience for each senior as they are not only painful but reduce playing time.
The seniors’ years are coming to an end, and they are now planning their futures.
Contreras said she plans to attend Iowa Western Community College after graduation and major in criminal justice. She plans to play either softball or bowl and pursue a career in law enforcement. Anguiano plans to attend college and become a social worker to help her community; she said she’s ready to leave the chapter of softball behind. Perez plans to attend college and study science and nursing and eventually work as a registered nurse.
All three of these seniors have left their marks on the South softball team and will be missed. Once a Packer always a Packer!
