THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Odessa High School Athletics

Though picking a place to continue their respective careers could’ve taken them almost anywhere, for Elva Castillo and Cami Deanda, at the end of the day, the grass looks plenty green right at home in Odessa. And, really, it’s greenest when they’re looking at it together. Odessa High softball’s pitcher-catcher duo signed on to keep playing together just down the road at Odessa College, celebrating the occasion Monday afternoon with a signing ceremony at the OHS Fieldhouse. Putting pen to paper meant the two will be in a familiar setting when they suit up next season for the Lady Wranglers program that they know so well — and it means continuing the connection between the circle and the plate for the two, who have been teammates ever since they were eight years old. “It’s really cool, especially to play with Elva, because we’ve been together for so long,” said Deanda, the catcher, moments after they celebrated signing. “I’ve been catching for her since she started pitching,” she said. “We’ve only ever played together.” Yes, through high school, summer travel ball and everything else, Deanda and Castillo have been playing together since under-eight league. “I love it,” Castillo said. “Me and her have a connection on the field. “It’s just different with her.” Castillo, the Lady Bronchos’ longtime ace in the circle, was named the District 2-6A Most Valuable Player when the all-district awards were released last week. Deanda was named co-Defensive MVP. Together, they’ve logged a lot of starts and watched a lot of pitches sail between them as Lady Bronchos, and now, they’re set to do more of the same as Lady Wranglers. “They’ve earned it,” Odessa High head coach Rachel Pena said. “They put in all the work. They deserve it.” The duo celebrated their signing Monday with friends, family, classmates and coaches — including Pena and Odessa College head coach Karina Cannon. “I’m excited about them,” Cannon said. Cami Deanda’s older sister, Hope Deanda, a former all-district Lady Broncho herself, just finished her final season at Odessa College, after two years as a standout with the Lady Wranglers. With that being just one connection between the Odessa High and Odessa College programs, both Cami Deanda and Castillo have become plenty familiar with the Lady Wranglers before suiting up there. “I did camps with them since I was little,” Castillo said. “The coaches and everything — I knew I was going to have a good experience with them. They’re going to help me out a lot.” Still, while Deanda has had a good idea for a while that she’d try continuing the family legacy at OC, Castillo wasn’t sure where she’d end up back before their senior season started. Castillo considered going to schools in other parts of the state. She liked the idea of getting away from home and seeing something new, and before the season she went to visit one particular school — but that’s when she realized the familiar wasn’t so bad after all. “It didn’t feel right,” Castillo said of her visit to another school. “They weren’t as — I don’t know — into the game, as OC was.” The day after that visit, when she was back in Odessa, Castillo said she reached out to the OC coaches to open up communications with them again. “It was a no-brainer,” she said. From then on, Castillo and Deanda knew Odessa College would be the right place for them for the next two years — and the place that could ultimately help get them to the right four-year school. “With Hope being there, I’ve seen people getting scholarships to bigger schools after this, so I know it’s a good starting place,” Deanda said. Castillo said she couldn’t wait to be coached by Cannon, who herself has taken to the circle at the game’s highest levels. As a pitcher, Cannon helped lead Odessa College to a third-place finish at the NJCAA national championship tournament in 2005, before helping Utah win the Mountain West Conference tournament at the NCAA’s Division I level. “What really excites me is me getting to learn from coach Karina,” Castillo said of Cannon. “Coach Karina is a pitching coach. I know she’s going to help me out a lot, so I can go DI. “My plan, after my two years, is to go DI after this — and I feel like coach Karina can really help me.” What will help Castillo and Deanda, too, their coaches said, is the unique connection and chemistry they have together. Cannon said that kind of relationship is “huge” on the field. “You already know what’s going to happen,” she said. “You anticipate the pitches. You understand how to handle them mentally. You understand how to communicate without speaking. There’s so many positive attributes that go together.” Pena said she was excited to see that continue, too. “I think it’s a good choice for them to stay together,” Pena said. “I can’t imagine Elva with a different catcher or Cami with a different pitcher. They know each other so well. “Coaches know that’s a relationship that’s kind of hard to build, whether it be at college or high school.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Odessa High School Athletics

DEANDA SIGNS AT ODESSA COLLEGE

JUSTIN LEE

OA Online | 5/22/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Mark Sterkel