Defensive nightmare: MSSU's Yazmin Vargas a big threat on the bases

Mar. 19—At barely 5 feet tall, Missouri Southern softball player Yazmin Vargas is far from a threatening figure.

Until she gets on base.

There, she's deadly.

The diminutive senior from Garden City, Kansas, set a school record for career steals March 10 against Central Missouri, with her 108th and 109th steals. She broke Abi Corbett's record of 107 steals set in 2018. In the six games since, she has added seven more steals to bring her career mark to 116.

Vargas, an outfielder for the Lions, said the moment she hit second base with steal No. 108 was special.

"I was very emotional," Vargas said. "It was a lot of tears and was a very surreal moment for me. I felt like I was living my little girl's dream."

With the record secure, Vargas said she is able to put her accomplishment in the rearview mirror and focus on team success.

"I'll put that (the record) in my back pocket and continue to work my butt off and do everything I can do to be the best version of myself," Vargas said.

What makes Vargas' record even more notable is the speed with which she broke Corbett's mark. Vargas set the new mark playing in her 159th game for the Lions; it took Corbett, who played from 2015-2018, 216 games to set the old record.

"Abi Corbett played before I got here, and I've heard nothing but good things about her," Southern head coach Hallie Blackney said. "I know she worked really hard as well. But how quickly Yazmin got there, especially with everyone knowing who she was and how fast she is just speaks to her being gritty and determined to make sure she is still able to use her speed."

Vargas started this season with 90 career steals and despite battling some early season injuries, has logged 26 swiped bags in the first 23 games she has played, averaging more than 1.1 per game. She has yet to be caught stealing so far this year.

Last Thursday, Vargas also passed former teammate and current Lion assistant coach Josie Tofpi for the school career record for runs scored (147) during the second game of a doubleheader against Augustana. Since then, Vargas has brought that total to 152.

At her current pace, Vargas also is poised to also break Southern's single-season mark for stolen bases, set by Erin Turner in 2001. Turner logged 47 steals in a lengthy 64-game season for an average of .73 steals per game. With at least 23 scheduled games left for the Lions this season, discounting possible postseason games, Vargas is on pace to swipe 25 more bags, which would put her at 51 for the season.

Vargas also is currently second on that all-time list with 36 last year in 47 games.

'Trust in yourself'

The Garden City speedster dons a "00" on the back of her jersey. Only one other player — another prolific base stealer — has worn that numeral. That was Alana Hester, (2013-16), who owns the school record for stolen bases in a single game at five. Vargas has logged four in several games in her career at Southern.

Vargas is efficient on the base paths — in the past two years, she has been caught stealing just once in 56 attempts.

She talked about how she responds to those extremely rare occasions when she is caught.

"You just have to tip your cap sometimes," Vargas said. "You have to understand that it is part of the game. Part of this game is failure, and understanding that is big."

Vargas' approach to running the base paths is simple.

"Trust in yourself," Vargas said. "Know that you have the speed and trust in your preparation. If you work hard enough, you will get to the point where you know you can read pitches, the defenses and even the catchers and get a good jump. It took me awhile to understand that, especially when I first got here. That was a real game-changer for me. There was so much that I didn't know about the game until I got here."

Vargas' contributions to the team's success rest not only on stolen bases but also on her productivity at the plate. She led the Lions last year with a .406 average and 58 hits. She is hitting .375 so far this season with four triples and a home run.

"I'm really proud of her growth from her freshman year to her senior year," Blackney said. "It's really awesome to see because of the amount of work and determination she has put in. She's been able to redefine herself every year. Early on, it was a lot of soft slaps and bunts and then she figured out how to power slap and hit away. She has turned into a true triple threat. I think she is a defense's worst nightmare. You kind of have to pick your poison with her."

'Smaggressive'

When it comes to the base paths, Vargas isn't the only base swiper on her team. As a squad, the Lions have pilfered 99 bases on 110 attempts for a 90% success rate through their first 31 games this season. Only one player has been caught more than once this season.

"We have speedy kids, and I love to see it," Vargas said. "Not only do we have speed, but we are smart and aggressive on the bases. I feel that is a big part of our success as a team. We call it 'smaggressive."

The Lions' approach to base running is a feature in Blackney's approach to the game.

"Coach B teaches a lot in practice, and she prepares us for any situation we might have," Vargas said. "She's the reason why we are as aggressive as we are on the bases. She loves speed, and she's going to use it."

"Our offensive strategy is bunts and bombs, so we are going for speed and power," Blackney said of her offensive philosophy. "That is the Southern softball approach. Speed never slumps, so you want to make sure you have some speed in the lineup. That speed will always be there, and then you find a way to get on base. It's just a part of who we are."

Along with Vargas, two other Lions boast double-digit thefts this season. Junior Kylee Jacks has stolen 24 bases, and sophomore Taylor Nuckolls has 12.

And when that trio reaches base, they are more than likely to score. Vargas and Jacks lead the team with 31 runs each, and Nuckolls is third with 22 runs.

The early years

Vargas' potential was clear early, largely because of her lightning speed.

"I've always been super fast, so all my coaches have taken advantage of that," Vargas said.

That includes Garden City High School coach Trina Moquett, who currently coaches Yazmin's younger sister, junior Yocelynn Vargas, an accomplished player in her own right.

"She's an amazing coach. She's helped me out through my entire career," Yazmin Vargas said of Moquett. "She took a chance on me and has always pushed me to do better. The reason I am here today is because of her and each and every one of my coaches."

Vargas also talked about sharing the love of the game with her sister, Yocelynn.

"She is my biggest supporter," Yazmin Vargas said as she choked back tears. "My siblings are my everything. She's had to follow me my entire career and never complained. I am very proud of her. Seeing how far she has gone really excites me, especially because my high school coach is also coaching her and believes in her the way she did with me. That means a lot."

While at Garden City High School, Vargas tied for the team lead in hits (39) and runs scored (44) as a freshman and earned second-team All-State honors while helping the Buffaloes to a third-place finish in Kansas Class 6A. She earned All-Western Athletic Conference honors three times despite missing a season due to COVID-19 cancellations and was a WAC Player of the Year.

Vargas also was named The Garden City Telegram's Softball/Baseball Player of the Year as a sophomore after setting school records in batting average (.579), hits (44), runs scored (37) and triples (10). She also posted a 5-1 record as a pitcher with 37 strikeouts and a 2.57 ERA.

Landing as a Lion

For Vargas, the decision to attend MSSU was solidified after her first visit to campus.

"It felt like home, even though home is 6 1/2 hours away. This became my home away from home," Vargas said. "It was one of the easiest decisions I could have made. This program is great because the people in it make it great and the community makes it great. I love this place so much and this program is super special."

Southern has been Home Sweet Home for Vargas from the jump. Since landing there, Vargas set the freshman record for stolen bases in a season with 31 and the junior record last year for on-base percentage at .476.

She is a three time All-MIAA selection, with first-team honors in 2022 and 2023 and was an honorable mention pick her freshman year. She also was selected to the MIAA All-Tournament Team last season and was both a Division II College Coaches Association and National Fastpitch Coaches Association first-team All-Region selection last year.

Vargas and the Lions (23-8, 3-1) return to MIAA action Friday with a doubleheader against Rogers State (22-4, 6-0.)