She stands just 5-foot-4 and is only a junior, but
Rio Rancho shortstop
BreOnna Castaneda may be the best softball player in New Mexico.
Her coach, Paul Kohman, says flat out, "She's the best defensive player in the state of New Mexico. She reminds me a lot of Shelby Pendley (now a senior at Oklahoma). She has quickness and can pick the ball out of the air as good as Shelby Pendley. She could start for most D-I's right now. She's one of those kids who refuse to lose. I think she's the best player in the state."
BreOnna Castaneda, Rio Rancho
Photo courtesy of Martha Griego
What does Castaneda – who already has chosen the University of Utah from many college offers - think of all this praise?
"I think he is being very gracious and it makes me feel good. I really work hard to try to be the best I can be. I work a lot on defense – work really hard on that. I have really wide range and have the arm to get it to first quite quickly. I'm preparing (for college). That's what my goal is. I'm not going to be there to sit on the bench. I think I could do it (start now in college). It would be a challenge, but I would do everything I needed to do.
"I push myself harder than he would. I think it makes coaches feel good that they have players who want to get better. I think I am harder on myself than anybody. I'm not satisfied just being good - I want to be the best that I can be."
Shelby Pendley is one of Rio Rancho's all-time greats and Castaneda's idol since she was a sixth-grader. She recalled, "Soon as a I first saw her playing, she started teaching me all that I know. I still watch her to this very day at OU."
The Rams' star has been building her reputation since launching her career at age 7. She actually was a catcher until eighth grade, when she switched to shortstop due to an ankle injury. That was the year she made the Rio Rancho varsity team and batted .440, driving in 33 runs on just 40 hits and scoring 41 times. As a freshman she batted .442 with 26 RBIs on 38 hits and scored 32 runs. Both years she struck out only six times.
She emerged as a power hitter during her sophomore year when she slammed nine home runs for the Class 5A state champions. She batted a lofty .505, drove in 36 runs, hit 11 doubles and three triples and scored 51 times. She stole 30 bases in 31 attempts and struck out only five times as a leadoff batter. In addition, she had a fielding percentage of .933 with 61 assists and 36 putouts and only seven errors.
Kohman says that as a hitter the Rams' star "seems to see the ball really well. She's very stable and calm in the batter's box. She seems to understand the strike zone. Her batting average with runners in scoring position kind of speaks for itself."
As a sophomore, Castaneda showed her great clutch hitting ability by batting a stunning .545 with runners in scoring position during six state tournament games. Her overall tournament average was .480.
She also has played club ball under Kohman for the past five years. Playing for the 18-and-under Sundancers, she was a starting outfielder as a 12-year-old sixth grader.
"I kept up with them," she said of her older teammates. "I've lifted weights since I was 8 years old. Since I was a lot younger I had to do something (to level the playing field)."
The Rams played their 2015 opener on Wednesday, defeating Valencia 8-4. Moved from leadoff to the key No. 3 position in the batting order, Castaneda went 3-for-4 with a home run. She also made at least one brilliant defensive play.
The ball was a low line drive which appeared ready to drop for a hit – until Castaneda "made a phenomenal catch and saved a couple of runs," according to Kohman. "Is that even possible for a female to do that?" he mused as he thought of many other similar plays in the past. "Players like that push themselves more than you ever would as a coach.
"We call them ESPN plays," Castaneda noted. "I have quite a few of them."
Concerning her many run-producing hits, the Rams' star says simply, "I feel like I'm obligated to score them. That's my job."
How about pressure? She answered, "I recently found out pressure is something you create in your own mind. It doesn't exist. Last year I told myself that I could do it. I never really thought about it."
She has very few strikeouts even though her vision is not the best. She is forced to wear contacts. She long ago decided that with a two-strike count she is either going to foul off borderline pitches or swing hard at a good one.
"I try to never leave it up to the umpire," she said with wisdom of a much older player.
Castaneda carries a strong 3.8 GPA and hopes to become an orthopedic surgeon some day. Professional softball might even be in her future, Kohman believes, because the National Professional Fast-Pitch League is expanding from four to five teams this year and Japan always is looking for good hitters.
"It's been an awful lot of fun watching her progress from little girl to an adult," the architect of Rio Rancho's 18-year program said admiringly.
Kohman is even considering using Castaneda in a secondary position – as a pitcher.
She has second thoughts about being on the mound.
She said, "I never really have been a pitcher in my life and really don't think I'm made to pitch."
However, being on a team with several other Division I recruits and having a chance to repeat as state champion, she quickly adds, "I would give it my best shot."
