What would it be like to be a pitcher and suddenly discover one game that the husband of one of the most successful college coaches in the nation is there to watch YOU pitch? And that game you go out and are shocked to discover you threw 66 mph?!?

That’s what happened to 2017 pitcher Corrina Rivas from Duncan, Okla. who is emerging as one of the top pitchers in the Southwest.

The 5-foot-7 hurler with a 3.87 GPA was also clocked at 64 mph at the Tulsa Elite Invitational and last fall helped her high school team win the Oklahoma 5A Regional Championship and advance to the state semi’s as she went 20-8 with 202 K’s in 161 innings with a 1.20 ERA and 12 shutouts and three no-hitters.

Corrina was honored as the 5A-2 District Pitcher of the Year and earned an even bigger honor when she was invited to play for the Mexican Jr. National Team which she’ll start training with in a few weeks.

Here, in her own words, is Corrina’s softball story and how she ended up making it to the highest levels of softball…

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My name is Corrina Rivas, I am 16 years old and I play for Oklahoma Worth Hericanes 98.

My dominant position is pitcher and I have been playing softball since I was three years old.

To be completely honest, I did not even know tournament softball existed until I was 10, when my dad created a local 14U girl softball team. He planned on going to tournaments and getting us into that type of environment.

My first thought about this type of softball was it was insane! I didn’t know there were girls out there that possessed so much talent. However, once I got out there I saw that I was just as good as them.

At the age of 11 I was only an infielder. I actually did like the idea of pitching so I would practice with my friends just messing around until my dad saw how much I really enjoyed it—after that he put me in pitching lessons.

Occasionally, he would let me pitch in a few games, but I did horrible against older girls. I still remember how upset I would be, I didn’t think that I was a good pitcher at all. Still, I just couldn’t let myself give it up so I just worked harder and I did get better, but these girls were still hitting me really good!

I didn’t get it – I was putting in the time, but these girls were still hitting everything! My dad got together with my pitching coach and he suggested that I play with girls my own age.

I picked up with a team for my very first 12U tournament. I was so nervous, I was worried thinking, “What if these girls are hitting off of me too?”

My dad told me to relax and just pitch how I usually did so I went out and pitched and I did amazingly well against these girls my age! No one could hit off of me as I was throwing strike after strike. They were in shock and honestly so was I!

My tournament career kicked off from there and not long after— in my freshman year – I was playing with Duncan (Okla.) High School at the ASA Hall of Fame tournament in Oklahoma City when colleges came to watch me play in a game against Blanchard High.

I was so nervous when I learned it a coach was there, I saw him while I was warming up — he was talking to my tournament ball coach.

I was 14 years old then and I was pitching against Blanchard whose team consisted mostly of upperclassmen. I did recognize a lot of their players from watching them play in tournaments, but they were all older than me.

I went to the circle and started pitching. I felt in my zone as all of my pitches were breaking and I was sure I was throwing harder than I’ve ever thrown. Everything was working in my favor. I talked with my coach at the end of the game and he told me that I was clocked me at 66 mph.

My heart dropped, I was so excited and shocked! Never in my wildest dreams did I think I was capable of throwing that fast.

The summer going into my sophomore year talked to Coach Caro, the coach of the Mexican Junior National Olympic Team, about me and they showed interest in me joining their team. My parents and I kept in touch with Mexican Jr. National coaches and made plans to fly over to California to meet the coach and try out for the team.

I went on to play high school softball my sophomore year this past fall starting out as our varsity pitcher. We had an extremely good year, my team made it all the way to the state semifinals.

However, in the final game I hurt my back, I was pitching in the middle of the fifth inning and all of a sudden I felt a rush of pain shoot into my lower left side of my back. I knew something was wrong as it really hurt to pitch.

I was already too far into the game to stop. I knew if I didn’t finish the game we would have been in a big hole so I talked with my coach and he let me finish the game.

We ended up losing 2-1 in the bottom of the 8^th inning and it was a tough lost, but we went home with our heads held high.

After a few a weeks of physical therapy I am healed, but still not released to train although, I am scheduled to start training with the National Junior Olympic Team Mexico by the end of this month in Baja, Mexico.

So please wish me luck!

Sincerely yours,

Corrina Rivas #21