Advosports

Sevanah Campos-Reyes went into last summer knowing she had to improve. She had not had a good season hitting, and knew more was expected.

A lot was riding on her abilities this season.

"I knew that I had to step it up this year," said the junior at Victoria West. "The summer really helped me a lot."

Campos-Reyes plays softball year round, first with Memorial and now Victoria West during the spring, and with travel teams over the summer.

She had been working with Sonny Cano, who had coached with several traveling softball teams and joined Campos-Reyes' team at the beginning of 2009.

He had something different in mind: He wanted the then-sophomore to learn how to hit from the left side of the plate, and to try being a slap hitter.

Slap hitting is when a batter charges the ball, getting a moving start from the left side and momentum behind her swing to get to first base as fast as possible.

At first, Campos-Reyes was resistant to the idea.

"At first, I didn't want to do it," "But I have speed, and I have to use it, and that was the quickest way to get on base."

Eventually, he convinced her.

"Sooner or later, I do plan to go left handed," she added.

Her progress had been good. She was learning how to see and hit pitches from both sides of the plate.

"The weekend before, we had been working on it," "He just had a heart attack.

"It was shocking."

Cano died over the summer, devastating the traveling team he helped coach. The team showed up at his wake wearing their softball uniforms, and paid tribute with armbands with "SC" in white letters on them throughout the summer and fall.

"Sonny was a joy to have around," said Campos-Reyes' stepfather, Ruben Garza, in an email. "He was always joking with the girls and making the atmosphere a lot lighter when things got rough.

"Sevanah still refers to things that were told and taught by Sonny."

A big part of it was the surprise of it all. Cano was in his 40s, Campos-Reyes said. No one expected a situation like this.

"One day, we just got a call," Campos-Reyes said. "He hadn't shown up at work. Our whole team was heartbroken. He had gone to nationals with us."

Cano helped Campos-Reyes develop the skills she employs on the softball diamond this season for the Warriors.

"He was a really strict coach, but he was really nice," she said. "He never held back on what he had to say."

Campos-Reyes has used the lessons she's learned from Cano, and throughout her time playing softball to emerge as one of Victoria West's most vocal leaders.

"She's been our team leader, she's been hitting the ball really well," said West coach Rome McNary. "On defense, she's made almost every play when the ball has been hit to her.

"She has varsity experience, two years really. At the end of her freshman year, we had some things going and I had to move some freshmen up."

Campos-Reyes said she's had to step up this season because she's one of the few varsity players from last year's Memorial team at West.

Campos-Reyes and senior Eboni Murphy started last season, and Daren Gallup pitched also.

"With maybe three people tops that are from varsity last year, we know we have to bring a lot of momentum to it and pump it up," she said.

Her experience goes beyond just playing varsity softball. She's been playing since she was 4 years old, Garza said, and has been at shortstop since that early point.

"She wanted to play, so I got her a glove and would hit her popups and grounders," Garza wrote via email. "By the time she was 5, she played softball for VGSA and could catch grounders and fly balls. So, they put her at shortstop ... and she's been playing there ever since."

"Ever since then, she's been starting at shortstop," Garza said. "Last year, she had a good year. And this year, she's been lights out both defensively and offensively. ... She's got good speed, a good arm and swings the bat well. She's a total package."

The work goes on for Campos-Reyes. She's emerged as one of Victoria West's team leaders. She continues to work on learning how to slap hit with a new coach - her cousin, John Reyes.

"My cousin and I work on it some now," she said. "But we haven't worked in a while because the season is on. His daughter plays softball too."

Reyes, her stepfather said, has helped her learn how to improve her hitting

"She would not be where she is if it were not for him taking the time to explain why she has to do what she does and taking time to work with her and our team one on one,"

McNary is sure Campos-Reyes has a future beyond high school in softball. He would have a hard time not recommending her to anyone who came looking.

"She's a competitor, she doesn't like to lose," McNary said. "She's a junior, and this is the time that colleges come looking."

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