Softball Announces 2020 Team Awards

Posted: Apr 20, 2020

Beeville, Tx- Head Softball Coach, Angel Castro's first season in charge of the Cougar program will be a memorable one to say the very least. The Cougars came roaring out of the gates with a program best and school record tieing seven consecutive wins; only to see the season come to an abrupt conclusion to the COVID 19 Pandemic. With the season canceled, Castro today announced the team accolades for the 2020 season. The Cougars finished the 2020 campaign with a 13-6 overall record, which was canceled prior to the beginning of Region XIV play.

Newcomer of Year - Brooklyn Balderas - Balderas a Freshman, utility player from Pasadena made an impact as the program's lead off hitter. The speedster was on her way to a potential school record in stolen bases, finishing tied for a team high 10 stolen bases. As the team's spark plug, she did her job with a .437 On Base Percentage (OBP) including a team high in walks with nine. She turned those trips to first into runs by scoring 18 times, which tied for the team lead.

Coach Castro on Balderas Freshman season, "She has tremendous bat speed, can turn on good velocity and has a history of running deep into counts which made her a great fit for the lead off spot in our lineup. She is one of the most low maintenance, high profiled kids I have ever coached. I can't wait to see what next year holds for her! She's well deserving of this award."

Pitcher of the Year - Amanda Aguirre - Aguirre a Sophomore, lefty Pitcher from Weslaco entered the 2020 season as the team's "ace" and she lived up to that billing compiling a 2.66 Earned Run Average (ERA), recording a team high 35 strikeouts in 47.1 innings of work, while allowing only seven walks. She finished the season with a 4-3 record and will close her career at CBC with 122 strikeouts.

Castro on her Sophomore Lefthanded Pitcher Aguirre, "Mandy is a very crafty left-handed pitcher that possesses a strong mix of speed and movement. Her ability to mix planes and speeds gives her a deceptive quality that gets a lot of swings and misses. Her competitive nature and ability to adjust always kept us in games when she in the circle."

Offensive Player of Year - Avery Hearn - Hearn a Sophomore, Right Fielder from Alvin carried over a solid freshman campaign into what would have been a monster second season. Hearn led the Cougars in Home Runs with seven through 19 games, a pace thought could well have left her the Cougars all time big fly leader. Hearn also led the Cougars in Runs and Runs Batted In (RBI) with 18 and 21 respectively.

Here is what Coach Castro had to say about her Sluggin' Sophomore, Avery Hearn, " Hearn has the ability to hit to all sides of the field for tremendous power. She's been in a number of pressure situations and come up big in times we needed her most. She posses the poise that you want to see at the plate with runners in scoring position. I'd bet on her every time. She's going to be a great addition to anyone's lineup next year and will be missed."

Most Valuable Player - Delisa Enriquez - Enriquez the Freshman, lefty First-Baseman from McAllen was a force at the plate for the Cougars as she led the team with: .509 batting average , .557 OBP, .927 Slugging Percentage. She collected a team high 28 hits and nine doubles, to along with 19 Run's Batted In; which was second best on the team.

Coach Castro on Team MVP, Delisa Enriquez, " Enriquez plays with a lot of energy and emotion. When she's on the field you know it. She has the ability to keep us in an inning and get us out of a tough one as well. She made only 1 error in 101 chances and finished with the highest batting average on the team. Her ability to stay focused and calm in pressure situations are intangibles you want in your best player."