El Diamante softball honors coach Stephanie Rapozo, raises awareness for Crohn's disease
Softball has provided Stephanie Rapozo a source of inspiration throughout her life.
Rapozo, a Visalia native, has battled Crohn's Disease for exactly two decades. Crohn's is an inflammatory bowel disease in the digestive tract.
During that journey, the bat and ball sport helped the El Diamante High School head softball coach endure the challenges of the chronic disease.
Rapozo, formerly Correia, recently underwent her fourth intestinal surgery in February to remove 20 centimeters of her small intestine in an ileostomy resectioning and revision procedure. Due to her disease, she also had her entire colon, large intestine and rectum removed in previous surgeries.
"Lots of hospitalizations," Rapozo said. "Incredibly painful, abdominally. I've had four intestinal surgeries. I've lost all of my large intestine, some of my small intestine but because people don't talk about the symptoms enough, it's embarrassing to talk about. But me personally, it's been a rough journey having to be in and out of hospitals for 20 years."
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Raising awareness
Today, Rapozo is sharing her battle to raise and spread awareness about Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis.
El Diamante hosted a "Purple Out Game" on April 25 to show support and promote awareness for the invisible disease. Purple is the official color of inflammatory bowel disease awareness.
Wearing purple uniforms, the Miners defeated rival Redwood 4-1 to stay in the race for an East Yosemite League championship.
El Diamante senior Jorja Moreno had a starring role in the victory, pitching a complete game while allowing just one earned run. At the plate, she blasted two doubles and drove in a pair of runs. Ashley Espino also had an RBI on two hits and Jennavee Campos and Alexis Ruvalcaba each added a pair of hits.
The Miners nearly pitched a shutout until Redwood junior Alexis Rico delivered an RBI single in the top of the seventh inning.
"Today, they played well offensively and defensively," Rapozo said after the game. "They were able to separate their offensive attacks and bring it out to the defensive side. We knew if we played our game, and focused on ourselves, we were going to be OK, and not get hung up on everything else that was going on. We just played softball. If our girls play softball, we'll be fine."
El Diamante's softball complex was decorated with purple balloons and banners. Some fans even wore purple to support those battling Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
Before the game, the Miners also recognized and honored Rapozo, two-time cancer survivor and El Diamante baseball player Jacob Fagundes, as well as softball player Natalia Negron.
"Icing on the cake is winning but bringing awareness for Crohn's and colitis and everybody that has come out and support meant more to me than anything," Rapozo said.
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'She really pushes us to be better'
Rapozo was a four-year All-West Yosemite League standout at catcher during her days at Redwood, tallying over 100 career hits before playing and earning All-Big West honors at Cal Poly.
The 2007 Redwood grad was named the El Diamante head softball coach before the 2022 season and has also served as an assistant for the Rangers.
How has softball helped her battle her disease?
"It takes my mind off of whatever I have going on," Rapozo said. "That's what it's always been ever since I was diagnosed in high school through college to now. Giving back to the girls, it keeps my mind off everything that I got to go through."
In February, the Miners officially dedicated the 2024 season to their coach.
"We came together as a team," Moreno said. "It really hit hard when she had to go to the hospital. We came together and said, 'This season is for her.' She's been our head coach for the last year, and really brought us up. We all have really made a connection with her. We just felt like she deserved this season."
Rapozo's battle with her health has motivated the Miners to play their best every time they step on the diamond.
El Diamante put together a five-game win streak from April 11-25. The Miners are currently 15-8 record and are tied for second place in the EYL standings.
"It honestly inspires most of us," Moreno said. "We look up to her. If we're having a bad day at school, it's not the end of the world because we have a coach who is going through something major every day, so she kind of just inspires us to just push through every day, come out here and have a great day. Smile and remember we're all here and we're all battling something. Everyone doesn't know what we're all going through."
Did Rapozo know the season dedication was forthcoming?
"Unexpecting because it happened at a Bakersfield tournament early in the year," Rapozo said. "I had no idea it was coming. That was at a time when I knew I needed surgery and I just came out of surgery and they dedicated it to me the day after it."
Rapozo and her coaching staff of Jessica Cervantes and Lyndsie Clevenger have helped the Miners field one of Tulare County's top hitting teams.
El Diamante is batting a collective .340 with 51 extra-base hits (32 doubles, 15 triples, four homers).
The Miner are led at the plate by:
Espino (.418 batting average, 23 hits, 20 RBIs, 15 runs, eight doubles, three triples, two homers)
Campos (.426, 23 hits, 18 RBIs, 22 runs, five doubles, four triples, homer)
Ruvalcaba (.438, 21 hits, 21 runs, eight RBIs, double, four triples, homer)
Moreno (.385, 20 hits, 20 runs, 15 RBIs, three doubles)
Moreno is also El Diamante's ace pitcher with a 1.59 ERA and a 14-4 record in 92 2/3 innings pitched. She leads the Miners with 31 strikeouts.
That success can partly be credited to Rapozo's coaching style.
"Her sense of humor is there," Moreno said. "Sometimes, we don't know when she's joking but other than that, she's a good person. She really pushes us to be better. She doesn't want us to fail. She just wants us to be better."
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: El Diamante softball honors coach Stephanie Rapozo
