GILROY – From a high school with less than 100 students to a
university with more than 16,000 bustling bodies – Anchorpoint
Christian senior Adrianna Osuna is bracing for a culture shock.
Don’t worry, though she is all smiles about it.
GILROY – From a high school with less than 100 students to a university with more than 16,000 bustling bodies – Anchorpoint Christian senior Adrianna Osuna is bracing for a culture shock. Don’t worry, though she is all smiles about it.
In a few short months Osuna, the catcher for Anchorpoint’s softball team, will pack her bags and head southeast to Las Cruces, New Mexico for her first semester at New Mexico State University.
“I used to live (in New Mexico) for five years, so I was just naturally drawn to it,” the soft-spoken 17 year old said. “I went to a football game and everyone was riled up, and I liked that about the school.”
Accepted solely on her academic standing – Osuna has a cumulative grade point average of 3.5, but is closing in on a 4.0 for her senior year – the next step for her is to lay it all out on the line and attempt to walk-on the softball team at NMSU.
“I got into the school just based on my school records but I am going there to (walk-on),” Osuna said.
It is a work in progress for Osuna, sending highlight tapes to the Aggies’ softball coach, offseason training and so on, but she said she is determined to continue.
Starting out
Softball is in Osuna’s blood, at least according to her mom, Alicia Hernandez, whose father was a softball coach for many years. Hernandez spearheaded the development of the Gilroy travel ball club, Chaos, and now manages the Anchorpoint softball team.
“She is so strong,” Hernandez said. “Her arm is like, wow.”
Osuna grew up surrounded by the rich tradition of youth softball in Gilroy, playing on the 2005 team that participated in the Little League World Series. That squad was manned by Dennis Castro, whose daughters, Emily, 18, and Alissa, 17, recently signed on to play for Notre Dame de Namur. Osuna and Alissa, as well as a number of other girls currently on the Gilroy High softball team, were teammates on that 2005 club.
“Dennis had a big influence on me playing softball,” Osuna recalls. “He was a great coach.”
That summer was the exclamation point in a transitional phase in Osuna’s life, which saw a drastic turnaround take place over a period of seven months.
The injury
In 2004, Osuna, then 11 years old, began experiencing sharp pains in her hip. Thinking back, she guesses that the injury was first sparked during a softball game where she hit first base awkwardly. The pain didn’t subside and soon affected her entire left leg.
“It would be hard for me to walk,” Osuna said. “I remember I was at school and I couldn’t handle the pain and I went to the nurses office. I called my mom and we went to the hospital.”
Osuna had suffered a slipped growth plate in her hip, an injury that occurs in adolescents who are in the midst of a growth spurt. The area around the hip, including the joints, becomes weakened and can result in the separation of the femur bone from the hip bone.
Osuna underwent surgery and had a rod inserted to hold the joints in place. The early prognosis was devastating.
“The doctors said she couldn’t play again until she stopped growing and that was hard for all of us,” Hernandez said. “When she stopped playing, when she had the injury, she started getting in trouble.”
Without softball, Osuna had nothing to keep her occupied and began hanging around with the “wrong crowd.”
“(Softball) wasn’t really my life, but it played a big part of it,” Osuna said. “When I wasn’t able to play, I got in trouble at school a lot. I just made some really poor choices. I was sad all the time. But when I came back, I had more reason to stay disciplined.”
Osuna transferred to Anchorpoint in the eighth grade and learned, after getting a second opinion, she was able to continue playing the sport she had grown to love.
“We signed her up for Little League and just like that she was playing again,” Hernandez said.
And after spending her freshman year at Gilroy High, playing on the softball team, she returned to the small school nestled just off U.S. Route 152 where she has flourished both on and off the field.
“When I think about the affect this school has had on me, it was the perfect fit,” Osuna said. “It is Christian based and that is what I’m all about.”
Wrapping up her senior season
With Osuna in her comfort zone at Anchorpoint, she said she has thoroughly enjoyed her time as a Lady Warrior, finding solace in softball and most of all having fun playing the game.
“I have learned that you have to play as a team,” Osuna said. “On a team like this, if you don’t play as a team, it all crumbles. It’s really hard because a lot of the girls haven’t played before. I try to be the person that lifts everyone up and be in high spirits.”
Osuna is an imposing figure at the plate, and coaches have often pleaded with her, albeit jokingly, to not hit a home run against their team.
“She is having fun,” Hernandez said. “If she takes this seriously, she could really go far.”
Though her future in the sport that she has played since she was 11, and one that saved her from a path she wouldn’t dare travel now, remains to be defined, Osuna knows that softball has done more than just provided for an opportunity to throw the ball around.
In many ways softball has brought her this far, giving her a reason to stay disciplined and focused on her goals and ambitions. But, there is no telling, just yet, how much further the sport will take her as she ventures off to college.
“I’ve realized that if sports isn’t going to get me to where I need to get than I have to focus on myself,” Osuna said. “I have to do something to where, if I can’t play sports, I can get somewhere without it.”
Osuna plans to major in kinesiology while at NMSU, combining two areas where she is most passionate –sports and caring for people.
“Physical therapy is a big one for me,” Osuna said. “I want to be able to help someone that can’t help themselves.”
Before she leaves Gilroy, though, she is adamant about making some lasting memories.
“I’m looking forward to the adventures with people here,” Osuna said. “I want to do so many things before I leave.”
