Caudle-coached softball squad prepares for nationals deep in the
heart of Texas
GILROY – Sarah Caudle knows Texas.
For four years, the softball legend from Gilroy High starred at Baylor University and grew to love the area.
But after graduating in 2003, Caudle got a job working at a softball facility in San Jose and hasn’t been back to the Lonestar State since.
She’ll soon return in grand fashion.
In her first year of coaching, Caudle is taking her 14-and-under Salinas Storm – a team that includes current GHS players Amanda Tellez and Patty Olvera – to the ASA Junior Olympic Nationals Aug. 3-8 in Midland, Texas.
“The girls are trying to get me to teach them them the accent,” Caudle said with a laugh. “They want to know the proper uses of y’all.”
Their coach also wants them to know a little about the searing Texas heat.
That’s why the team was practicing in the hot weather at Gilroy High School Tuesday morning instead of the cooler temperatures of Salinas.
“They’ve got to know what to expect,” Caudle said.
As for the competition, the team is well-aware it is competing in the upper-level division at nationals and will be facing the best the country has to offer.
To their credit, though, the Storm has been competing against 16-and-under teams almost the entire year. And during last month’s national qualifier at the NorCal State Championship in Fairfield, they finished first among 25 teams.
“It was one of the hardest tournaments to qualify from and we finished 6-0 there,” Olvera said. “So we’re feeling pretty good.”
According to Caudle, the sunny outlook can largely be attributed to two longtime friends from Gilroy.
Olvera and Tellez, both 15 (but 14 before Jan. 1), have been teammates since they were 9 years old. That was just about the time they started taking lessons from Caudle, who has been teaching softball since she was a sophomore in high school.
“Those two girls have come so far,” Caudle said. “Without question, they’re our leaders.
“I think the biggest thing is just their maturity and positive attitude.”
And their contributions on the field aren’t bad, either.
Olvera brings versatility – she’s not only the team’s shortstop, but also one of its top pitchers. And Tellez brings the bat – she’s recorded a hit in every game she has started this summer.
“They’re huge for us,” Caudle said.
They aren’t the only ones, though, Tellez cautioned.
“We can all hit,” she said. “There’s no weak part of our lineup.
“That’s the first team I’ve ever been on where you could say that.”
Both her and Olvera said it was also the most cohesive team they’d ever been on.
“It’s great … there’s no drama,” Olvera said of the team’s unity. “Everybody loves everybody.”
So now it’s onto Texas, where the Storm will join nearly 100 teams in their division.
For both the teams and the individual players, the stakes are high.
“You never know who could be watching,” Tellez said.
Indeed, college coaches are everywhere at nationals – even scouting out the U14 teams.
“If you want to get a scholarship, this is where you want to be,” said Caudle, who attended several of these tournaments as a kid before receiving a full scholarship to Baylor.
“This is how you get recruited.”
The cost isn’t cheap, though.
To cover expenses, each player on the Storm is required to contribute $1300. And the team, which only has two players from Salinas, is naturally finding it tough to raise money without one, clear-cut community to rally around it.
“We’ve got girls from everywhere, so it makes it pretty hard,” said co-head coach Arnold Tellez.
The Storm did raise money at a recent car wash, though, and plan on doing the same Saturday at the Salinas Sports Complex.
At the fundraiser, they’ll also be serving barbecue and giving away raffle tickets to win dozen of prizes, including gym memberships, restaurant gift certificates and even 49ers tickets.
Caudle, Olvera and Tellez are also canvassing their hometown for any additional contributions.
If you can’t make it to Salinas Saturday and would like to help out, you can contact Arnold Tellez at (408) 705-0671.
“Gilroy’s always been a great giving community,” Caudle said. “I’ve been receiving donations my whole softball life … a lot of times it was the only way I could play.
“So anything anybody can contribute would be wonderful.”
