| Catherine Garza |
The first in a three-part series featuring UTSA Softball’s senior class, Catherine Garza took time out of her busy schedule to sit down with Jeremy Jjemba of goUTSA.com and discuss the season, her role as a catcher and her future plans. A San Antonio Reagan High product, Garza is batting .224 with four doubles, five home runs and 11 runs batted in and boasts a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in Southland Conference play. The Roadrunners have won three consecutive SLC regular season championships and are tied for second place with Sam Houston State entering a home series with the Bearkats this weekend at Roadrunner Field.
Being a San Antonio native, how does it feel to play college softball in your hometown?
“I love playing ball here at UTSA. My family and friends are close, so they can come to most of my games. It means a lot to play here and represent my high school, Reagan. It’s fun to play before people that have known your whole life. I love it.”
What do you do to prepare for a game?
“Our preparation for game day is a combination of a variety of things including an intense practice on hitting, pitching and catching.”
What’s your favorite thing to do after winning a game?
“After winning a game we celebrate as a team. Usually we go out to eat and talk about the game, what we did right and the mistakes made so we can work on them in the next round of practice. Typically, our discussions are positive.”
After losing a lot of seniors from last season, what kind of pressure did that put on you as a senior before the season started?
“Losing a lot of great players put a lot of pressure on me and the other two seniors on the team. We had to step our game up, especially after losing a lot of good hitters. As the seniors in the lineup this year we felt that we had to step up as leaders for our team, but also as players that love the game and want to create a winning atmosphere.”
This season you’ve started the majority of the games behind the plate. As a senior, what does this mean do you?
“It means a lot to me as a player. It shows that my teammates and coaches trust me. Getting this much playing time as a senior is really a good thing, especially having my teammates and coaches behind me. It shows that they have a lot of confidence in me, so I do my best to stay in this position so I can keep playing as many games as possible.”
As a catcher, how do go about developing a relationship with the pitching staff?
“I know my pitchers well because I’m friends with them on and off the field. I know how each one reacts to different pitches. If they are having trouble, we usually talk it out. I know what pitches work for them, and if I fail at determining what pitches work for them, I reach out to the coaching staff to help me out with pitch selection.”
As good as this program has been for the past four seasons, there is always room for improvement. What area do you think your team needs to improve in order to end this season on a good note?
“I think we just need to stay together till the end. We play very well together. This season our team is made up of a lot of new players who help out a lot. If we stay together as we did in the past by keeping a positive attitude and our heads up, I have no doubt we can compete for another championship this year.”
What is the secret to the team’s success in hitting home runs? Why do you think your team performs so well in this area?
“All season, we’ve had the pressure on our back for being a home run hitting team, but we don’t always aim for hitting home runs. We aim for hard base hits each time that sometimes result in home runs. My goal is not to hit a home run each time I’m up to the plate. I personally aim for hard hits each time because that’s what I’m expected to do as a player. I’m coached to hit hard and that’s what I do. The entire lineup does the same thing. We really do just try to hit the ball hard every time up.”
UTSA has won three straight conference titles and is in contention again this year. What’s the key to the program’s success in conference play and how important is it to you and the other seniors to end your career with another championship?
“Possibly winning another championship before we leave is really important to us seniors. It would mean a lot and I know we have the ability to get it done. To win a championship this year, we just need to continue playing as well as we have done in the past. We have to focus on the next game and not worry about what other teams are doing or what we have down the road.”
How do you want your season to end this year?
“I foresee a great ending to this season. We want to compete for the regular season championship and get into the conference tournament and perform well there. The winner of the tournament gets to go to an NCAA Regional, and we’ve done that two of the last three years. That’s exciting and we want to experience that feeling again this year. It would be nice to earn a fourth ring before I leave. That would be the best ending to our senior season, and I will work as hard as I can to make that happen.”
What are you going to miss the most about playing at UTSA?
“I am going to miss my teammates, and I will definitely miss my coaches. They have been a great help to me all along.”
What are your career plans?
“After softball and graduation, I’m going to dental school at The University of Texas Health Science Center here in San Antonio. Being a dentist will give me an opportunity to care for others because I am the kind of person that enjoys helping other people. Ask any of my teammates.”