"Alexis Tamez: A cut above the Rest"(written by Rene Torres when Alexis was 12 years old)
Entering the pitching cage, sounds of “Classic Rock” greet your ears, which follows with popping echoes from a catcher’s mitt—a familiar sound when Alexis delivers her fastball.
We cannot call her a softball star yet, but she is ghastly good enough to dominate her age group with a sizzling fastball.
She is a sixth grader at Oliveira Middle School, and, at this point, is barely tapping into her potential.
Her love affair with the game started at five years old at East Brownville Little League. Since that “T” ball experience, her interest in softball has turned into passion.
Inside the white lines, her inspiring personality activates the enthusiasm of others, making it easy to connect with her teammates.
Alexis uses finesse to deliver a flash of lightning. Her fastball travels 45 to 48 miles per hour, which equates to about 70 mph in baseball, a rare deed for a 12-year-old.
During her private weekly practice sessions—she is lip-locked, and her opinion is silent as she is keenly attentive to the given instructions. In other words, she is very coachable.
Oh! By the way—she doesn’t wear your typical sports headband. She makes a fashion statement by wearing a vintage style piece that takes you back to the 1960s.
While it’s not in her character to display a smile while in practice—she will, on a timely basis, reveal a sliver of a grin.
Her biggest supporter, her mother, sits mere steps away from her investment. With all good intensions, murmuring, whether great or trivial, her approval and/or disapproval of her work.
If your straight ball, regardless of speed, becomes habitual, the pitcher tends to be more predictable and hittable. Therefore, Alexis, not wanting to be ushered to the dugout because of her predictability, is working on a couple of knee bending curveballs to complement her fastball, an arsenal that spells trouble for her future middle school opponents.
Regardless of the situation, she works quickly and calmly from the mound, and rarely cracks under pressure. Perhaps this is something she learned from playing select ball for the past two years. The traveling team concept provided her the opportunity to gain immeasurable experience.
Alexis has certainly not mastered the art of pitching yet, but, if she continues to blossom with every pitch, it’s inevitable that next year she will be a dominate figure on the mound.
The pitching ace is also making waves in the classroom—the scorebook from that arena, demonstrates that she is an excellent student. She consistently makes the roster of the “A” honor roll while sparkling on the diamond.
Five years later… Alexis, now 17. . Rene Torres continues the story
Today, Alexis has earned a place as the ace of the Veteran Memorial High School softball team.
As a 12-year-old, she had some blind spots about the knowledge of the art of pitching, but, now, at 17, she's gained valuable experience and maturity— helping her to develop an arsenal of pitches.
Pitching requires not only physical skills, but cognitive skills as well, and she has established both to the fullest.
Evidence of that was displayed in the last few weeks:
Alexis was spectacular on the mound against Rio Grande City by keeping the batters guessing for seven complete innings and pitching a shutout, winning 13-0.
On her next appearance against Edcouch Elsa, she was consistently on target. Edcouch put zero numbers on the board with Veteran's winning 11-0.
Against Porter, she went the distance—standing tall for seven innings, dispatching batters to the dugout with frequency and pocketing another win, 15 to 0.
Then, against Pace, she brought her reputation to the hill, tossing a two hitter, a 13-0 shutout.
In closing, she will be the first to tell you that every victory has come as a result of team effort.
Every time she steps on to the hill, is a page to turn and a journey to experience, creating lasting memories for her and her teammates.
You can predict your future by what you do today.
From what we’ve seen from Alexis this season; her future will be replete with mighty victories.
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