CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Mary Carroll alum Vanessa Quiroga received a welcome home fit for a National Champion at Carroll High School. She is one of two athletes from the Coastal Bend that won the NCAA DI National Championship with Texas softball in a best-of-3 series against Texas Tech. Quiroga held a meet and greet with autographs, pictures and more.
"It feels great," Quiroga said about her new trophy. "It's not as heavy as the real one, but I mean it's really cool to be able to say like this is part of my journey."
Quiroga began playing softball when she was 9-years-old. Her parents, Lauro and Beatriz, remember her dream was to always compete for Texas softball.
"It's just a great ending for her career," Lauro Quiroga said. "Her senior year, and we're just so proud of her and all of her teammates."
Quiroga's father Lauro traveled to Oklahoma for the Women's College World Series. A moment he and Vanessa shared together after the win.
"Tears of joy and tears that it's over," Lauro Quiroga said. "We don't know what we're going to do now. We've been doing this for a long time. We'll probably take a real vacation."
Quiroga hopes winning the title can inspire other young ballplayers from Corpus Christi.
"It was really just like looking at a softball player and I was just like I want to do that," Quiroga said. "I want to be that, so just being able to hopefully do that for someone else is like why."
Melah Gonzales looks up to Vanessa so much that she wears jersey No. 3 with Twelve Softball just like Quiroga. Melah and her family also watched the Championship series in-person.
"It was so much fun because I got to see all of my favorite players win," Gonzales said. "Especially Vanessa and Mia (Scott) because I like how they play."
Carroll softball head coach AJ Caballero noticed Quiroga's work ethic since day one.
"A leader on and off the court," Caballero said. "She was one of our captains, and helped us make some strong runs into the postseason while she was here."
Quiroga has achieved it all, alongside her Texas teammate Reese Atwood, helping the Longhorns win their first ever softball National Championship. Plus, capping it off with a Bachelor's degree.
"Oh my gosh it's been amazing," Quiroga said. "Being able to come back here at Carroll, just soaking it all in and just being able to be here for the community."
Quiroga joins an elite group of Coastal Bend athletes that have won an NCAA DI softball National Championship. Her Tuloso-Midway teammate Reese Atwood and Veterans Memorial alum Rock Benavides who won with Florida State in 2018.
