St. Paul softball players help train next generation of athletes
Girls work on hitting drills during the Summer Youth Softball Camp at St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs. The camp focused on the fundamentals of throwing, fielding and batting. (Photos by Keith Durflinger)
SANTA FE SPRINGS - With summer activities in full swing, the St. Paul High School softball program recently held the first of four two-day youth camps, Tuesday and Wednesday (June 14, 15) on the campus diamond.
Ages 4-9 took part in the first camp as well as the second camp, which was held this past Tuesday and Wednesday, June 21, 22.
The camp continues with the third and fourth sessions July 12, 13 and July 19, 20. Both camps will be ages 10-14. All camps are 9:00 am – 12:00pm. The cost is $75.
“We put them on for two reasons,” St. Paul Softball coach Charles Gandara said. “We started last summer only because we just got our field last season. Number one, we put them on for the community, for players looking for something do in the summer to enhance their softball skills.
“We also do it to promote the program. I have a lot of my players come out and help. Basically, they run these camps all by themselves. It’s all player-run and they have a blast doing it.”
Gandara, who will enter his fourth year as head coach, said the reaction has been great. “The feedback has been super positive,” he said. “Parents are very grateful and I hear a lot that it’s a very cheap camp for what they get.
“The kids get two days of instruction – three hours each day- and get a t-shirt and popsicles at the end of the day. From what the parents tell me, there’s not really anything like this in the area and they are very appreciative of that.”
Gandara and JV coach Keith Durflinger provide some of the instruction during the camp, but the bulk of the instruction comes from current St. Paul players.
“It’s not mandatory for any players to volunteer to help at the camps,” Gandara said. “We stress the importance of giving back and our players enthusiastically volunteer their time to teach and pass along their knowledge and love of the game to the younger girls.”
“The skills the girls learn at our camps will make them a better player on the field and a better person off the field.”
Players helping with the camps are: Gaby Gandara, Tiffany Cuevas, Jenessa Hindson, Sophia Arvizu, Savannah Patino, Elisa Gulfin, Jocelyn Solorzano, Brooke Camacho, Kailee Mejia and Julissa Detrinidad.
Sophia Arvizu, Sr., catcher/inf
“I love helping the little girls achieve their dreams and seeing them have so much fun,” Arvizu said.
Asked if she had a cool moment during the camp, Arvizu said, “I did have a cool moment. I met this little girl named Cassie (Rios). She just stuck to me and it just showed me that I have to be patient and also that I admire them and they admire me. It’s just cool to see that.
“I love just seeing them have so much fun with the game. It’s something I grew up with and seeing them enjoy what I did when I was their age. It gives me serotonin”
Julissa Detrinidad, Sr., catcher/1B
“Helping out at the softball camp just reminds me about what the game is really about,” Trinidad said. “It’s just about having fun and making friends and learning and experiencing new things and then growing up with the people that you’re here with.
“It just reminds me that even as the game gets faster and it can get more stressful, at the end of the day it’s still super fun and it should be enjoyable.
“This is the fourth camp that I’ve helped out with and one cool moment was one of the little girls I’ve known since she was four, has been coming here every year and now she is six. She is doing everything on her own and I’m not holding her hand anymore. It’s really cool to see them grow and come back every year and get better and better.”
The Summer camps are an extension of Winter camps, which are in their 12th year.
“For the younger girls we work on a lot of basic listening skills,” Gandara added. “We work on footwork skills, how to properly field a ground ball, how to properly throw the ball and how to position the feet on defense.
“On the offensive days we work again with their hands and feet body position and just breaking the swing down. Just very basic.”
2023 season preview
Expectations are high for the Swordsmen as they return all but one player for the 2023 season. The team graduated one senior last year and will look to carry nine seniors next year.
Four of those seniors are four-year starters – Gandara (All-Del Rey League and All-Area 1st teams), Detrinidad (1st team All-League), Madison Gasca-Reyes and Cuevas.
After missing 2022 with an injury, Nebraska commit Alisa Gulfin will return for her senior season in the circle.
All-League second team players, seniors Savannah Patino and Kate Williams, who missed 15 games after transferring in to St. Paul last season, will be available all season.
Junior pitchers Abby Duarte and Gabby Gomez (2nd-team All-League) look to continue in the circle next season, along with sophomore pitcher Natalia Mofin.
Arvizu, who saw significant playing time in the latter part of the season, looks to compete for time behind the plate and at the corners.
In addition, outfielders Camacho and Hindson, along with designated player Bella Garcia (All-League 1st team) will contribute.
The infield will have depth with juniors Andrea Tellez and Kailey Vasquez, along with league MVP and All-CIF and All-Area first team junior, Hannah Moreno.
After missing most of the season, sophomore Daina Munoz returns and looks to compete at third base
Sophomore Kailee Mejia is expected to compete for the shortstop position again this year along with freshman Audrey Prado.
Current Swordsmen in college
Six St. Paul players from last years 2021 class are playing at the college level - Jordin King, P (New Mexico State), Kat Serna, P (Iowa University), Jayne Sepulveda, 2B (Southern Utah University), Destiny Salamanca, INF (St. Martins University), Nadine Marquez, INF (Rio Hondo) and Malia Pieper, C (Cerritos College).
What they said:
Ava Vazquez, 7, camper
“I like that we can learn stuff and we can learn how to play softball,” said Vazquez, who was wearing a helmet with her dad’s football number – 64.
Asked what she liked the best, she said, “I like hitting and that we can hit it off the ‘T’ and hit off the coach because it’s easy and when you’re in a real game you can hit a home run. I pitched yesterday and practiced how to make a strike when you let go of the ball.”
Kristin Vazquez, Ava’s mom
“I like to bring her to camp because it helps her work on her skills, her development and gives her game some confidence out on the field and while she’s batting,” said Kristin Vazquez, whose daughter Ava was attending her second camp.
She was able to practice pitching since she has never really pitched before. I got her in touch with the pitching coach.”
Asked what her daughter told her about the camp, Kristin Vazquez said: “She told me that she had fun and she couldn’t wait to come back again. She actually wants to do it again next week (June 21-22), even though it’s the same thing because it’s so much fun.
“She enjoys the girls that are putting it on and enjoys the drills and different activities. It exposes her to softball and it gives her the ability that there are different levels and actually shows her that she can look to these girls as role models and mentors. As she gets older and improves and she can play when she goes to high school. And actually, I’m thinking of sending her to high school here (St. Paul) and that’s a lot of the reasons why I came here is to check out the staff and how the high school is ran.”
Victoria Quintero, 6 was also one of the campers who was having a great time at the camp, wearing her helmet, that appeared a little too big for her.