Parkland graduate Andrea Morales leads Rogers State to Division II softball World Series
Parkland High School graduate Andrea Morales has always been a fierce competitor and determined to be the best pitcher she can be.
Morales is wrapping up a college career at Division II Rogers State in Claremore, Oklahoma that has come full circle since her freshman year in 2018. From her freshman season where she wanted to help create a winning culture to now leading the Hillcats to the school's first trip to the NCAA Division II College World Series, which begins Thursday at The Assembly Athletic Complex in Denver, Colorado.
"It's been quite a journey and one that I've been proud of it in many ways," Morales said. "I've grown as a woman and been a part of a special group of teammates and coaches here at Rogers State. To get where we are at now took a lot of work and has been rewarding. We started the school year with the belief that this could happen with hard work and focus and it's here."
Morales, who is a fifth-year senior, is 34-4 this season with 326 strikeouts and a 1.10 earned run average in 248.2 innings. For her college career, she has 111 wins and 1,018 strikeouts. At Parkland, she had 76 wins and more than 1,000 strikeouts.
"Andrea was someone we felt strongly about when we recruited her and we felt she was someone we felt would help us make this program what it is," Hillcats softball coach Andrea Vaughan said. "She's accomplished so much in her career and done it with so much fight and determination. To win as many games as she has and earn as many strikeouts as she has says so much about her competitive spirit."
The 53-10 Hillcats earned a trip to the World Series by defeating Central Oklahoma twice in last week's Super Regional.
On Thursday in the tournament's first round, the Hillcats face 49-11 Southern Indiana. Rogers State is seeded No. 5 in the double elimination tournament and Southern Indiana is seeded No. 4.
"It's all new teams we'll be seeing but our focus is the same and we'll focus on each game like we have all season," Morales said. "It's a great opportunity for us to show how good we are once again and I believe we can win it all. My family will be there and that's important to me. They have been by my side all these years."
Morales, who was a biology major at Rogers State, plans to return home after the season as she ponders a future. She wants to attend medical school and be a doctorand give back to the El Paso community she grew up in.
"I'm excited for the future and it'll be different not having a game to get ready for," Morales said. "When COVID hit in 2020, we lost much of our season and that gave me a chance to reflect and see what life would be without playing. I just want to enjoy this last experience with my team and then move forward. But I want to come back home and give back to my community, that's important."
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Felix F. Chavez may be reached at 915-546-6167; fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Parkland grad Andrea Morales leads Rogers State to postseason success
