Published Wednesday, May 14, 2008 11:52 AM
Updated Wednesday, May 14, 2008 11:53 AM
Shelly and Vicky Grimsley helped the Lady Wolves capture a regional championship and make it to the district finals.
Shelly Grimsely
A Sister Act
In her second year as head of the softball program at THS, the Lady Wolves claimed a region championship and reached the district finals for the first time in school history.
At the helm of this team were Shelly and Vicky Grimsley. Most nights on the diamond, Shelly, a senior, could be seen on the mound. Receiving her pitches, at catcher, was her little sister Vicky, a sophomore.
“I think every coach is happy when you get a great athlete,” Elizondo said. “It’s even more impressive when you get two from the same family.”
Since she was young, Shelly has worked hard to become the best player she could. In her final year on the mound with the Lady Wolves, Shelly finished with a record of 15-5, racking up 213 strikeouts and a scholarship to play for Lander University.
“I can’t really explain how excited I am right now,” she said. “I always told my dad I wanted to pitch and now I have the opportunity to do it at a whole new level.”
Constantly trying to improve her own skills, Elizondo said Shelly’s presence and hard work ethic has been a large part of the success of the Lady Wolves.
“She’s a natural leader,” Elizondo said. “The team looks to her and sees the way she is always trying to improve her pitching and mechanics. She’s the mother of the whole team.”
Even her sister looks to Shelly while on the field.
“She’s always trying to help me play better,” Vicky said. “We’ve always been close, and I think being on the same team has made us even closer.”
“Shelly has always been Vicky’s biggest support system,” Elizondo said. “The two of them are always cheering each other on and constantly trying to teach and pass on their knowledge to one another.”
When not guarding home plate, Vicky also pitches and is a powerful presence when up to bat. Her sophomore year, Vicky finished with a 6-0 record on the mound and a .359 batting average.
“I’m going to miss Shelly being out there next year,” Vicky said. “The whole team has been playing together for a long time and it’s going to be really different with her not here.”
Shelly said she is impressed with how here sister has developed as a player and looks forward to seeing her step into a leadership role next year.
“She has the potential to be a great pitcher, and I really look forward to seeing the team win even more games next year,” Shelly said. “She had a great year defensively and her batting stats were really impressive. She is only a sophomore and has two more years to get even better.”
With the season over, the girls are looking forward to a long summer. Both will continue working on their skills playing in recreational leagues before Shelly leaves for Lander.
“It’s been a pleasure to have coached Shelly,” Elizondo said. “It’s always difficult to lose someone with her talent, but I’m extremely happy for the opportunity she’s going to have at Lander. We had a great year and made some major accomplishments. The team is only losing two seniors and I will be looking to Vicky and the other girls to step up so we can have another great season.”