CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Coastal Bend welcomed home NCAA Division 1 softball National Champion Reese Atwood. The nation's best catcher helped Texas defeat Texas Tech in the best-of-3 series 2-1, 3-4 and 4-10. Now Atwood is giving back to her hometown at the annual Tuloso-Midway softball camp that started in 2010.
"It means so much to me to come back to T-M and work with these younger generations of girls and future softball players," Atwood said. "I came to these camps as a kid and I just loved it and had so much fun, so I definitely want to give back to these girls and show them the opportunities and what they can do through softball."
Atwood graduated from Tuloso-Midway in 2022. This summer she's helping head coach Sally DeLeon at the annual youth softball camp by teaching throwing and hitting.
"The biggest thing for me is to be able to talk to these girls and kind of give them the motivation and the endurance to be able to stick through this sport," Atwood said. "I know what it can give you and bring to your life. It's just been such a great opportunity for me and I want to give that to them as well."
Other Cherokee alumni helping were Alabama A&M's Rayven Ramos, Trinity Valley's Yanira Valdez, Texas A&M San Antonio's Danica Salinas and UTSA's Demiree Stafford. They're helping young players like 9-year-old Tuloso-Midway's Aria Martinez. Her favorite part was learning...
"How to throw better," said Martinez.
Atwood said this offseason she's been settling down a little bit to get ready for fall training at UT Austin. The key is working hard and keeping a consistent workout routine.
"Ever since I was these girls age I had a dream of winning a National Championship," Atwood said. "It meant so much to me to be able to bring that home and just celebrate it with my team, my family and everything we had worked for and sacrificed for.
The camp continues on Tuesday and ends Wednesday at Tuloso-Midway. The 1st-6th grade session runs 5 to 6:15 p.m. and the 7th-9th grade group is 6:30 to 8 p.m.
