Cassandra Valdez – Lake Weekly

Valdez first OLLU softball player to sign professional contract

Cassandra Valdez of the OLLU softball team recently signed a professional contract to play for the Coastal Bend Tidal Wave of the Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPF). While many other student-athletes from different OLLU sports have gone on to play professionally, Valdez is the first softball athlete to sign to play professionally.

Valdez, a Veterans Memorial High School graduate in Brownsville, Texas, and a former University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and Texas State University softball student-athlete, joined the Saints in 2021-2022. Despite considering leaving OLLU for an NCAA D1 opportunity, she decided to stay, driven by her unwavering determination to achieve her life-long dream of playing professionally.

Valdez’s pro signing is a significant milestone, not just for her, but for the NAIA as a whole. She joins a select few, including Emily Cerny from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, who played for the Oklahoma City Spark in 2023, in making the transition from the NAIA to professional softball.

Valdez is excited about starting her professional career, saying, “This has been a goal of mine for some time, and to be here with such talented athletes is an honor. I am so grateful God has blessed me with this ability to play the game I love at the highest level. There are so many people who have helped me get here, especially my family and loved ones.”

The Coastal Bend Tidal Wave are based out of the Texas Coastal Bend area and will play in Robstown at the Fairgrounds Field, which was once known as Aviators Stadium. The field is located next to the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds.

The Tidal Wave will play eight games from June 20 to August 11, with their home opener scheduled for June 27. The full schedule can be found HERE. Follow the Tidal Wave on their Facebook page, and go HERE for additional information on the WPF.

In The News

On June 13, a story on MyRGV about OLLU softball pitcher Cassandra Valdez turning professional:

https://myrgv.com/rgvsports/2024/06/13/going-pro-brownsville-native-cassandra-valdez-joins-pro-team-after-shining-at-ollu

On June 13, a story on KRIS-6 TV about OLLU softball pitcher Cassandra Valdez turning professional:

https://www.kristv.com/sports/friday-night-fever/womens-professional-fastpitch-make-south-texas-splash-with-coastal-bend-tidal-wave

On June 12, a story in NFCA.org about the OLLU softball coaching staff being named national coaching staff of the year:

https://www.nfca.org/divnews/naia/naia-national-coaching-staff-of-the-year-2024

On June 12, a story in ValleyCentral.com about OLLU pitcher Cassandra Valdez:

https://www.valleycentral.com/sports/athlete-of-the-week/athlete-of-the-week-cassie-valdez

On June 9, a story in the Laredo Morning Times about Alexander High School track star Nayeli Rodriguez-Arce committing to OLLU:

https://www.lmtonline.com/sports/article/alexander-s-nayeli-rodriguez-arce-commits-lady-19503165.php

Valdez, Garza named NFCA, NAIA All-Americans

OLLU softball players Cassandra Valdez and Madison Garza have been selected to the 2024 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) NAIA All-America team, the association revealed on June 6.

Valdez also was named to the First Team last year, while Garza, a third baseman, was named to the Second Team. Valdez was earlier named to the NAIA All-American First Team, and she received NAIA Pitcher of the Year honors.

First-time national champion OLLU led a group of six schools with two All-America selections, which included fellow World Series participants Madonna University, Oregon Institute of Technology and the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. Marian University of Indianapolis and Midland University also had two winners.

Valdez logged 56 games, including 36 appearances as a pitcher. She had 144 at-bats, 50 hits, nine doubles, and a team-leading 62 runs, four triples, 15 home runs, 45 RBIs, 46 walks, 30 stolen bases, and a slugging percentage of .778. She batted .347 and had an on-base percentage of .513. In the circle, Valdez recorded 30 wins, one loss and three saves in 24 complete games. Her ERA was .53.

Garza logged 56 games with 145 at-bats, 36 runs, 57 hits, 13 doubles, two triples, four runs, 33 RBIs, 13 walks, 10 stolen bases and a slugging percentage of .593. She batted .393 and had an on-base percentage of .470. She led the team in hit-by-pitch with nine and sacrifice hits with 12. Garza had 46 putouts, 40 assists and a fielding percentage of .977.

Dreese, Valdez named CSC Academic All-District winners

OLLU’s Kayla Dreese and Cassandra Valdez have been selected to the 2023-2024 Academic All-District® Softball Team. The program recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. Recipients must be a starter or important reserve with a 3.50 cumulative grade point average and above.

College Sports Communicators (formerly the College Sports Information Directors of American – CoSIDA), such as OLLU’s 18-year member Patricia Constantin and second-year member Ryan O’Keefe, submit nominees for consideration. The organization boasts more than 3,000 members, and all are eligible to vote for all sports teams yearly.

Both Dreese and Valdez were selected as CSC Academic All-America finalists. They will advance to the national ballot, where CSC members will vote on them.

Watch party in UWAC today for Saints softball in NAIA World Series

A watch party will be held at 1:30 p.m. today in the UWAC for the No. 1 ranked OLLU softball team as the Saints pursue a national championship in the NAIA World Series.

OLLU, the No. 1 seed, plays the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma (USAO), the No. 6 seed, in the semifinals in Columbus, Georgia. The Saints have defeated the Drovers twice this season.

The Saints have outscored opponents 6-0 in the tournament. Cassandra Valdez has pitched all 14 innings with 18 combined strikeouts. She is 28-1 in the circle with an ERA of 0.54.

Kayla Dreese is 2-for-3 at the plate and has scored two runs. The Saints have hit 50 home runs this season and are batting .352. The squad has stolen four bases at the tournament and have drawn seven walks.

Come out to the UWAC and support OLLU!

No. 1 ranked softball headed to NAIA World Series

The NAIA No. 1-ranked OLLU softball team is headed to the NAIA World Series for the second consecutive season.

The Saints earned the berth by blanking Hope International University (HIU) 2-0 last week in the championship game of the San Antonio Bracket in the NAIA Opening Round.

The Saints improved to 53-3 and did not allow a run in all three contests of the tournament.

The Saints will travel to Columbus, Ga., for the 43rd Annual NAIA Softball National Championship World Series from May 23-29.

The Saints advanced to the NAIA World Series behind the pitching of Cassandra Valdez, who struck out nine and allowed only five hits to secure her 26th win of the season.

In the fifth inning. Valdez smacked a two-run home run over the left field fence that scored Alyssa Garcia. OLLU’s 2-0 lead held, and the Saints were crowned champions.

Bell, Valdez named OLLU’s 2023-2024 Athletes of the Year

OLLU sprinter Jalen Bell and softball star Cassandra Valdez have captured the 2023-2024 Big Blue Top Saints awards as Male and Female Athletes of the Year.

Bell qualified for the Outdoor NAIA National Track and Field Championships in the 4x100m relay, 100m, and the 200m. He received NAIA All-American Honors in the 4x400m relay indoors. He is nationally ranked in both the 200m and in the relay. Bell also broke several records, including the 200m indoor, the 4x400m relay indoor, and the 200m outdoor. Bell has received many Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Track Athlete of the Week awards and is a three-time RRAC Scholar-Athlete. In addition to his accomplishments on the track, Bell earned a 3.56 GPA. Bell is a junior majoring in Mass Communication.

Valdez led the OLLU softball team to the 2024 RRAC Regular-Season title and a Runners Up finish in the postseason tournament. Valdez won her third RRAC Pitcher of the Year Award and was named to the All-Conference First Team three years in a row. She also received All-Tournament honors. Valdez holds many records, including the all-time record in triples, home runs, strikeouts (as a pitcher), wins and shutouts. This year, she received eight RRAC Pitcher of the Week awards. Valdez is a three-time RRAC Scholar-Athlete and earned a 3.57 as an undergrad and 3.5 as a graduate student. She is majoring in Visual and New Media Arts.

Softball faces Cottey College in NAIA opening round

The top-seeded OLLU softball team (50-3) will face fourth-seed Cottey College at 2:30 p.m. today in the NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round at the St. Mary’s University Softball Field.

OLLU is competing in the San Antonio Bracket, one of two brackets featuring four teams. The eight remaining host cities will feature five teams. The winners of each bracket will advance to the 43rd Annual NAIA Softball National Championship, which will be held May 23-29 at the South Commons Complex in Columbus, Ga.

Head Coach Bruce Lenington commented, “The exciting part of this time of year is that everyone has the same record, same ranking and same goal. Our players are ready to compete and leave it all on the field.”

The Saints were runners-up in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Championship Tournament after capturing the regular-season title with a perfect 24-0 record. This year, they received the No. 1 rank in every regular-season NAIA Softball Coaches’ Poll.

After losing to Central Washington in early February, the Saints went on a 45-game win streak before losing twice to LSU-Alexandria in the conference tournament.

The Saints are led by Cassandra Valdez, who has 57 runs, four triples, 14 home runs, 42 walks and 28 stolen bases. She also leads the team in OBP with .529 and SLG with .824. Kayla Dreese leads the Saints in hits with 56, in doubles with 13 and batting average with .427. Natalie Rodriguez leads the team in 44 RBIs.

OLLU’s pitching ranks among the nation’s best. Cassandra Valdez has an ERA of 0.67, second-best in the NAIA. She has logged nine shutouts, three saves and a record of 23-1. She has 228 strikeouts. Ava Hernandez has an ERA of 1.41 with a record of 19-2. She has eight shutouts and 99 strikeouts.

Softball falls to LSU-Alexandria in RRAC Championship Tournament

The No. 1-ranked OLLU softball team fell to LSU-Alexandria (LSUA) 3-1 on May 5 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Championship Tournament semifinals.

The Saints are the No. 1 seed while the Generals are the No. 2 seed. The Saints 45-game winning streak was snapped with the loss. Saints pitcher Cassandra Valdez lost her first game in the circle this season after 5.1 innings with three earned runs.

Head Coach Bruce Lenington commented, “What I haven’t been able to teach our team is how to bounce back after a loss. Only losing can provide that opportunity and I’m excited to see how our team responds.”

The Saints will face No. 5 Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT) for the second time in the tournament today at noon. The winner will move on to face LSUA in the championship game. The winner of the OLLU versus TAMUT game will have to beat LSUA twice to claim the championship.

Softball clinches RRAC regular season title with sweep of TAMUSA

The OLLU softball team clinched the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) regular-season title with a sweep of Texas A&M University-San Antonio (AM-SA), 11-0 and 11-3.

The Saints won both games in five innings, and increased their win streak to 41 from Feb. 9-April 20, 2024. They own the longest win streak of any university in any division (NCAA D1, D2, D3 and NAIA).

The Saints move to 45-1 overall and 22-0 in the Red River Athletic Conference. AM-SA drops to 24-17 overall and 10-13 in conference.

In between games, the team honored Madison Garza and Eneli Garza for their individual senior day. After the games, the Saints recognized all the seniors, adding Alyssa Flores, Kayla Dreese, Alana Benitez, Cassandra Valdez, Marissa Bradley and Natalie Rodriguez.