"It was having that feeling of we can do it, a little glimpse toward next season," she said.
SOFTBALL SHORTSTOP SERIES
Getting a series win so late in the season is something Richard thinks will serve as a springboard to the future. The roster features five freshmen, 11 sophomores and one senior. While this season has been a struggle for the team as a whole, Richard isn't the only young player. That should be true for several more years and Richard can't wait for them. "A lot of energy, a lot of charisma and a little bit of attitude - a little bit of that youngness," he said. Hubbard said Richard adds some swagger to the team. It all came fast, but I have some amazing teammates who push me hard everyday to be the best version of myself. "I'm only 18 years old, having to grow up quickly was pretty crazy. "I had to put my big girl pants on, grow up and get ready for the ride. "When I got here, a few weeks had gone by and I realized what role I was going to have to take on," she said. Upon her arrival at UTEP, more than a year after she committed to the Miners and back in the familiar position of being a young player, she realized there wasn't going to be a long ladder-climbing process. "I wanted to push myself to the next level and get as much competition as I could."
"When I was younger I always played with older girls, so when it was time to play back in my age group I did stand out more," Richard said. She is also used to being one of the youngest players on the team. While Richard's parents were a football player and a women's basketball player (Thaxter and Alejandra) at Western New Mexico in Silver City and nurtured her love of athletics, she grew up playing softball, always at shortstop.
It makes transitioning, which can be very hard, an easier process." "I just feel at home here at UTEP with my teammates. "I love it here: the atmosphere, the people here, the coaching staff. "Having all them here when my parents can't be here is great, knowing I have a home to go to at the end of the day if I need to," said Richard, who added that everything about El Paso feels close to her heart. More: Cathey embraces leadership role for UTEP softball She committed to UTEP as a junior at Silver High, in the first of her two seasons to make all-state. Richard's grandparents also live in El Paso and she played some of her youth softball with an El Paso team (Silver City is two and a half hours from El Paso). Her uncle is Juan Camacho, the baseball coach at Bowie, and his son Juan is on the UTEP football team. They are because Richard almost immediately made herself comfortable at UTEP and El Paso. I think everybody on the team as well as the coaching staff felt comfortable with her in that situation." "She's had a lot of clutch performances before so I think it was good for her to be in that situation. "That was good for her, being a young kid," coach TJ Hubbard said of her series-winning hit. Batting in the third spot, she's fourth on the team in average (.262) and RBI (17). That type of demeanor is what UTEP has come to expect from Richard, who stepped right in as an everyday starter at one of the most important positions before the season's first pitch.
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