Siblings Andrew and Samantha Rodriguez both realizing sports dreams
The sports of baseball and softball have been part of Andrew and Samantha Rodriguez' lives since they were little children and now both of them have reached their childhood dreams.
Samantha, who is two years ahead of Andrew, was already a college softball player at Midland College, but after the recently competed season earned a Division I scholarship to Alcorn State in Jackson, Mississippi as a utility player. Andrew, a pitcher and infielder, was headed to junior college after high school but his JUCO coach, Harry Estep, was hired at Division II New Mexico Highlands in Las Vegas.
"Samantha has always been an inspiration to me," Andrew said. "She always had the goal of playing at the Division I level and now she gets that chance. To see what she's done to reach her goals is amazing and she's helped me reach my goals and helped me become more confident in what I'm doing."
Andrew and Samantha both played their respective sports at Montwood High School, where their relationship became even stronger.
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"We've always challenged each other to be better," Samantha said. "We're really close and are always pushing each other to be the best at what we can do whether it's sports or school. Baseball has always been his passion, softball has always been my passion. We always have depended on each other for support. We'll be further away this time around but the closeness will stay the same in terms of our support. My goal since I was little was to play Division I softball and it's amazing that it is happening. Andrew will do great things in college."
Andrew and Samantha come from an athletic background. Their father, Richard is a former softball coach at Montwood High School and younger sister, Devyn, is a standout sophomore at Parkland and who played a key role in leading the Matadors to a bi-district playoff win against Chapin this past spring.
"Our dad has been very important to us and our development as people and athletes," Samantha said. "He's been great to learn from."
Added Andrew: "Our whole family loves to compete and sports has been one of our passions for so long, I believe we all want to be the best we can be in all parts of life and represent our family, our community in the best way possible."
Montwood baseball coach Willie Romo has seen Andrew and Samantha grow up and isn't surprised both are finding success after high school.
"I've known their dad for a long time as well and both Andrew and Samantha were a fixture at Montwood even as kids," Romo said. "They were always doing something sports wise and they enjoyed it. I'm proud of both of them, they worked hard to get to this point and they'll continue to find success."
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Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Andrew and Samantha Rodriguez both are realizing sports dreams
