Coastal Bend Softball is a few short weeks from beginning a new season. Entering her first season as Head Coach of the Cougars, Angel Castro also brings a plethora of knowledge of the game of softball to CBC. Coach Castro has been heavily involved with softball since she was a kid. After high school, Castro was the starting Shortstop at Odessa College for two years as she helped the team finish ninth in the nation her sophomore year. Castro then went on to play at The University of Texas-Permian Basin; leading the team in both, Home Runs and RBI's.
Prior to coaching at Coastal Bend, Castro began her coaching career at Eastern New Mexico University in 2012 as an infield and hitting coach. After her time at ENMU, Castro was hired as the assistant coach at Paris Junior College, working again as the hitting and infield coach in addition to heading up recruiting. In 2014, Castro was promoted to head coach at PJC, leading her team to back to back regional tournament appearances, falling one game short of the national tournament in her second season. During her time at PJC, her team showed consistent improvement in GPA, graduation rate, and on the field. She finished her last season with a record of 38-20, doubling her win total from the previous year.
Now, let's jump into a Q&A about the upcoming season with Head Coach, Angel Castro!
How do you feel about the upcoming spring season? I have looked forward to this chapter of our journey since I signed on in July. I love the process of the fall season and the, "one-day-at-a-time" approach to preparing a team for the spring, but I've always loved the reward of the season. I love seeing these young women, who have become a "family", play for each other, overcome obstacles, grind out every pitch and compete. To see the work payoff is extremely satisfying. -AC
As a Head Coach of your respective team, how do you feel about your team? I feel good about every team I have ever coached. Some are talented, some are really close, some fight for each other and some just fight with each other, but I always feel that we can accomplish anything we want as long as we keep pounding the stone each day and growing as young women. -AC
What is your number one goal for this season? The number one goal for my team is the number one goal I have every morning I wake up. Be better than we were yesterday on the field, in the classroom and in life. To be and act like the kind of people that you don't have to lie about at their funerals. It' s a privilege to be in a position to impact the lives of so many. If we leave it all on the field every practice and game, that is all we can ask for. -AC
How many returners do you have? We have eight returners from last year's team. -AC
Of those returners, how many are starters? Line-ups will always vary. Between sickness, injury, "slumps", hot streaks, situational game planning, I can see our line-up changing often. We expect and encourage our sophomores to lead this team from whatever role they are playing that day. -AC
What do you expect of your incoming freshman? Growth, maturation, jitters early, struggle, fatigue due to playing more actual innings in 4 months then they have ever played. In the end, I expect greatness, the greatest version of themselves that they can become in just 9 months. -AC
How do you feel about your transfer players? We, as a staff, are always excited anytime we can add quality people with talent to this team. It helps our depth, it helps to motivate in some cases, and it sometimes brings a new perspective to parts of the game. If we weren't excited, they wouldn't be here. -AC
Are there any standouts from last season we should be on the lookout for? Statistically we expect Madysen Parker to continue to contribute with even more power and Amanda Aguirre to continue to improve and lead us on the mound. -AC
What expectations do you have for your newcomers? For the newcomers, I expect the same as the freshmen, especially early on as they adapt to a change of scenery and getting into a rhythm as the season progresses. -AC
How tough will this season's non-conference schedule look like? We tried to schedule a very balanced non-conference schedule. We have scheduled some smaller budget schools, like ourselves, and then some of the powerhouse teams as well. As we progress in our program we will continue to try and play a very balanced schedule. -AC
What are your personal coaching goals and team goals for the program this season? Learn and get better every day. Build a foundation for our program that is based on integrity, honesty, hard work ethic and a nurturing culture. Team goals. Win in every aspect, or learn. -AC
Who is CBC's biggest rival? You play the game, not the opponent. I've tried to instill that love of the process into the teams I've coached. You're not playing against your opponents you're playing with them. The game requires two teams, in order to be played, So we concentrate on executing the game, playing hard, and controlling what we can, us. Then, every time we step on the field it's the same purpose, the same process no matter who is in the other dugout. -AC
The Cougars take the field on Friday, February 7th at 11:00 am vs Cisco College at the Cisco College Tournament. That marks the first of seven games during the weekend stay. Coastal Bend's home opener will be against Odessa College on Saturday, February 29th at 12:00 pm for a Double header.