Aragon softballers champing at the bit

Still, it has been difficult for new head coach Gustavo Garrard to watch as the burgeoning varsity careers of two of the most promising softballers ever seen in San Mateo County have been shelved for at least a year.

“It hurt for me to see that as a coach … it hurt me as a dad that their parents are missing seeing them play and they’re missing a year of eligibility,” said Garrard, who took over as head coach for a one-year term while Liz Roscoe has temporarily stepped away for precautionary reasons. “But I guess what’s fortunate for them … they have that outside team they can still ball with.”

The “outside team” Garrard refers to is the West Bay Warriors, a travel softball team based in San Mateo. Players will have the opportunity to play both club and high school softball concurrently this year, but with a catch. If a travel team leaves the county to play competitively, any players must quarantine from high school sporting activities for 10 days.

“So that is going to be a logistical challenge for a lot of us coaches this year,” Garrard said.

Keeping track of who is playing where may prove difficult, according to Garrard. But he is hoping players will abide by the honor system.

“We want kids and parents to be honest with us,” Garrard said. “Honestly, this comes down to safety. … So, we’ve had to send that message to the kids to fill out that COVID prescreen and be truthful.”

Garrard knows the careers of Grant and DiNardo well. While he is taking over as varsity head coach this season, he has spent the last two years running the school’s junior-varsity squad. So, he watched in awe during the 2019 season as Grant batted .500 while capturing the CCS home run crown with 13 bombs, while DiNardo bettered her teammate with a whopping .557 average.

Obviously, there was no pushback from Garrard in terms of Grant and DiNardo leapfrogging the JV level to make the opening day roster as freshmen that season.

“That was a no-brainer,” Garrard said. “I think even back as a sixth grader, the program was already looking at [Grant] coming up the pipeline.”

But whether or not local softball teams get back on the field this season has yet to be determined. Aragon is slated for an April 15 opener, already one month later than the traditional March start. Last year, the team played three games prior to the season’s cancelation. Grant was off to a modest start: 2 for 7 with a home run. DiNardo, though, was nearly perfect, batting .857 (6 for 7) with two homers and nine RBIs.

Currently, the Dons are practicing three times a week.

“I think they’re itching to want to play a game,” Garrard said. “It’s going to get tedious and boring to just do practices three days a week and not put on a uniform.”

Garrard said he expects Roscoe to return next season, when he hopes to return to his JV coaching role.

“Yeah, I would love to stay with the school, with the program,” Garrard said. “I have grown up thinking the JV is the farm system for a good varsity team.”