Alexis Velasquez has had a passion for softball since the age of five years old and that hasn’t changed 19 years later.
Velasquez – who recently earned her first head softball coaching job at West Plains High School – started playing baseball at a young age which transitioned into softball where she immediately fell in love with the sport. Being coached by her father, Jason, Velasquez used softball as a way for mental strength and networking opportunities.
Pre high school, Velasquez and her family traveled many miles playing in showcase tournaments and by the time she entered River Road High School, Velasquez wasted no time making her mark as arguably the best to ever wear a Lady Cat uniform.
In those four years at River Road, the 2018 graduate was a four-time District MVP while earning All-State honors all four years.
Velasquez went on to play three years at Texas A&M-Commerce before arm injuries ended her career.
After graduating with a degree in Kinesiology at Commerce, Velasquez wasn’t sure if she wanted to make coaching her career, but thanks to her former high school coach, Ty Hoobler, Velasquez took that chance.
“Alexis was on the first team I coached at River Road,” said Hoobler, who just completed his third season as the Amarillo High head softball coach. “I didn’t know much about her. I had heard she was an amazing player and she turned out to be just that. She’s also just a great a person. Alexis is as hard working as they come and was like an assistant coach to me when I was at River Road. I knew she could be a tremendous coach.”
“I want softball to grow and make game better,” Velasquez said. “That’s always been my mission being from Amarillo. Having arm injuries in college, my goal now is to teach these young players healthy mechanics and not to develop bad habits with their form. I want to show them nutrition and the importance of drinking water. I want to them to trust me to know I’ll be there for them off the field as much as I am on the field.”
Velasquez was even fortunate to learn under the wing of AHS girls’ basketball coach Jeff Williams as an assistant, an experience she didn’t take for granted.
“Coaching under Jeff Williams was unbelievable,” Velasquez said. “I learned so much. He knew basketball wasn’t my main sport, but he was patient with me and gave me responsibly. I loved watching how he coached the team and his methods. He and coach Hoobler are very similar. They set a tone and have fun when it’s time to have fun then focus and grind when it’s time to buy in. I was very fortunate.”
Becoming a head softball coach at 24 years old is quite impressive. Velasquez turned down several offers to be a head coach the past couple of years but knew the West Plains job was the one for her.
“It’s been a smooth transition at West Plains,” Velasquez said. “I knew if this job opened up, it was going to be the one I wanted. I never expected it so soon, but I trusted God and here we are.”
From where she is today from where she started, one thing is for certain, Velasquez will always be thankful for her relationship with mentor Ty Hoobler.
“Coach Hoobler helped me find a love for softball in high school,” Velasquez said. “I feel he and I were consistent factors of building the team that constantly got better. He let me call pitches which helped so he could focus on everything else. When I was looking at colleges, he helped me figured it out where to go. He’s been a very stable person for me to rely on and the respect goes both ways. We are family and I’m not here today without him.”
Hoobler echoed Velaquez’s comment.
“I’m proud of her,” Hoobler said. “I’ve always been proud of her. She is an unbelievable person, and she will be a great softball coach. She has gone through a lot to be where she is but being able to work together and seeing her help kids is what it’s all about.”
