Leaving a Legacy

There was nervous energy in the Castro Club on Sunday. 

It was a room full of softball student-athletes, coaches, administration and longtime supporters. 

In the middle and front row – to no surprise – was senior third baseman Sara Vanderford.  

After a long commercial break – what felt longer than usual – and after a few more portions of the bracket were revealed, the Texas State name appeared on the screen. It was announced they would play in the Austin Regional and face Texas A&M on Friday in its opening game (6:30 pm, ESPN+). 

“To have your name pop up is relief because you made it, but it’s go-time now,” said Vanderford after practice on Tuesday. “It’s a brand-new season. This is when it’s fun. This is when you got to work harder. (We were) thankful in the moment but it’s now pushing ourselves and raising the bar because that is what we are here to do.”  

Following a 2022 campaign that had the Bobcats as one of the “First Four Out,” Texas State is making its return to the NCAA Tournament in 2023. This is the Bobcats’ 11th trip in program history and 10th under head coach Ricci Woodard. 

Like most teams, the Bobcats’ road to the postseason faced its moments of adversity. The future was uncertain.  

In mid-April, the Bobcats lost five in a row, a streak bookended by losses to Texas and Texas A&M – two of the three teams that will join them in the Austin Regional this weekend. Their record was 26-19-1, and they were below .500 in conference (6-7-1). 

“We had to sit down and come together as a group to figure out what we had to do differently to get back on track,” said Woodard. “There was a point in there where we had some separateness. And we had to get back on track. We’re all in this together, whether we’re a coach, trainer, player. That was the turning point for us: when we decided if we want to go, we got to go together.” 

Front and center – there’s that spot again – leading the charge was a familiar leader: Vanderford. 

“The plan is to win with seniors,” said Woodard. “And there’s not a better one probably around than Sara Vanderford and what she does for us on the field and off the field.” 

Vanderford is already well established in the Texas State record books. She is second in program history in career home runs (29) and career RBI (138) as well as tied for sixth in career hits (184). Earlier this year, she set a new school record for career doubles and she enters the postseason with 52. She is 14 doubles shy of setting the all-time Sun Belt record, which she will have an opportunity to do next year when she returns for her final campaign as a Bobcat. 

This season, Vanderford is hitting .308, which is second on the team behind Hannah Earls, and she is leading the Bobcats in doubles (16), home runs (7), and RBI (38). She was named All-Sun Belt Second Team last week, her second career all-conference honor. 

As much as she has contributed statistically, Vanderford has also stepped up as a leader, be it vocally or by example. 

“She’s taken some freshmen under her wing and teach them the way to do this so hopefully when she leaves, she’s left her legacy to continue that,” said Woodard. “That’s all you can ask for from a senior in that spot.” 

Vanderford started working closely with her freshmen such as Karmyn Bass and Kat Zarate. The three have dedicated extra time in the hitting cages, working with Woodard on the finest details of their swing and approach. That meant showing up an hour before practice to do an extra 15 to 30 minutes in the cage. Or staying after and facing live pitching from pitching coach/all-time batting practice pitcher Josh Trevino.  

Nothing was too obscure or no second was to be wasted in a season that could have been determined by one at-bat. 

“It came from my freshman year,” said Vanderford. “The Bailee Carters, the Hailey MacKays, ArieAnn Bell, Tara Oltmann – being surrounded with those people as a freshman, I truly believe that is why I am the way I am today. Because without them, I wouldn’t have known. I got here. They showed me the ropes. They took me under their wing, and I was not the Sara I am today. They took a chance on me. 

“It’s now on me to take a chance on these young ones. They deserve it, because in two years, it’s going to be them. It’s all about making this place better than I found it. I have pride for the program. Showing them what it’s about, what it’s like, how to go about things. They’ve done a great job of being open-minded.” 

Vanderford is naturally a leader on the team. She is one of two seniors on a team that features eight true freshmen. She has also started and played in every game since she stepped foot on campus (192 straight games) in 2019-20. Her presence is felt. 

“(Sara’s) obviously a leader, but she speaks out,” said Zarate, a breakout freshman this season who has played in all 58 games. “She doesn’t care what anybody else thinks. She leads by example more than words. If you see her doing something (as a senior), you’re more than likely going to be doing it, too. She always does the right thing.” 

Vanderford’s impact on Bass and Zarate has shown. The two were the team’s leading hitters in conference-play as Bass led the team with a .338 average and Zarate was closely behind with a .321 clip. They also had the second- and third-highest RBI totals, trailing of course Vanderford. 

“(Sara’s) always going to tell you how it is, whether you like it or not,” said Bass. “She’s going to tell you the truth, even if it sucks. For example, today (at practice), she walked up to me today and said, ‘You need to figure it out.’ And I realized, if you’re saying I need to figure it out, I guess I do. She wants you to be the best that you can be.” 

While the results have started to show statistically and in the team’s achievements, Vanderford views her role as a leader and helping others around her much more than this season.  

“If I can help someone else, that helps us achieve our goal of winning,” said Vanderford. “Being a leader and getting them to where they need to be whenever (the seniors and upperclassmen) leave.” 

And do not think that Vanderford stopped trying to get better after the NCAA Regional was announced. On Tuesday, 72 hours before the first game of the Austin Regional and under the intense Texas sun, she stayed later after practice to get another bucket of balls in off live pitching. 

Whether it was for this weekend or her final season next year, she saw any time that was available as an opportunity to keep improving. Even if she was staying later once again. 

“Because you can always get better. Bottom line,” said Vanderford, matter-of-factly, on why she stayed after practice once again. “The more you work at it, the more you have to trust it – and that’s something I’m still learning. I love it. I love doing it. I love putting in the work. It’s who the seniors in my freshman year taught me how to be. Being gritty. Fighting through the hard.”