Stephanie Jimenez grew up with softball - literally.

At age 5 she received a flyer at her school about the sport. She took it home, asked her parents if she could sign up, they said yes, and she and the sport have been inseparable ever since.

"My parents really didn’t know what softball was, so when I popped the question they kinda just shined it off, up until I kept on bugging them about playing," Jimenez said with a smile. "I remember my mom asking me what softball was, and I then responded by saying, 'Baseball, but for girls.'"

That Christmas her parents bought her a bat and glove. Jimenez said she thinks their reasoning was it would satisfy her and quiet her about joining a team. If so, they were wrong. It only inspired her even more.

"January came, the last month that we were able to sign up for tee-ball, and I remember going up to my parents one last time begging them to sign me up," she said. "They both came to an agreement to give it a chance, and so that same day we went to the school to actually sign me up."

Little did she or her parents know what that fateful day would mean for her future.

"Softball became my favorite sport because it opened up new friendships and experiences I never thought I would get," Jimenez said. "It helped me build lifelong friendships that have lasted me to this day. It also gave me and my family lifetime experiences, like traveling to different states to compete versus the top teams in the nation and opening up to new opportunities to get recruited by top schools around the country."

That journey led her to Weatherford College and coach Haylee Williams' program that has established itself as a perennial power though only a decade old.

Jimenez immediately became part of that tradition. As a freshman in 2019, she was named to the All-Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Team. This season she was well on her way to besting many of her stats from last year, including being third in the league with nine home runs - matching her season total in 2019.

But then, COVID-19 arrived in the United States. The season came to an abrupt end, not to be finished per a decision by the NJCAA.

Jimenez ended the shortened 2020 campaign of just 23 games leading the Coyotes in several categories, including batting average (.471), RBI (21), base hits (24), on-base percentage (.526), slugging percentage (1.059), extra-base hits (12), total bases (54), plate appearances (57) and the aforementioned home runs.

She was also named the Conference Player of the Week for a second time in her career on March 10. For that week she hit .571 with 3 home runs and 7 RBI.

"It felt and still feels really good to see that my hard work is being recognized by others, and it only motivates me to work even harder and to be better," she said.

Jimenez said she tried to play basketball at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe Springs, California, but, "It just didn't feel like home, so I quit and went right back to softball."

Throughout her high school career, she received numerous awards, but it was her senior year she remembers most. Her team won the California Interscholastic Federation Division 4 state championship, something her school hadn't done in softball since 1990.

"It felt good to win that CIF title right before heading to college because it gave me that championship mindset, which I then took into college," she said.

She'll get another chance at a championship as a Coyote. She and her teammates have another year of eligibility as the NJCAA has granted another season of eligibility to spring athletes.

"Stephanie was off to a monstrous start to her sophomore year. She had a great freshman season, but we knew if she continued to listen she would put up huge numbers her sophomore year," Williams said. "She is a pleasure to coach, always has a smile on her face and making people laugh. I am thankful she will be returning next year to finish what she started."

As for the end of the season, Jimenez said it was a "complete shocker."

"This all happened so fast, and it’s like no one even knew what to do," she said. "It shouldn’t end like this. It should end with a big trophy in our hands in Utah (site of the national championship)."

The Coyotes were the preseason favorites to win the NTJCAC this season.

Jimenez said she plans on continuing to play after WC, though she's not committed yet. Thanks to the extra year of eligibility, she has a little time.

"WC will always be my forever home. It gave me opportunities I never thought I’d receive, and it gave me friendships that I will never forget," she said. "Next year is going to be our year. I’m going to finish what I started here at WC."

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by Rick Mauch