Galindo signs letter of intent with UHV softball

By Millie Diaz
Sports Writer
Maiden Cheyenne Galindo was breaking windows as a girl learning how to pitch a softball, and though she’s adept in volleyball and basketball because of her towering six-foot height, softball has held a special place in her heart from the beginning.
Now, the work has paid off: Galindo became the fifth signee of eight with the University of Houston in Victoria to play softball with the possibility of pitching with them in the 2018 season, and it’s perfect timing as she prepares for her senior season of softball.
“It’s the first sport I learned how to play, and I became the pitcher for my Little League team my parents were coaching,” she said. “I started pitching strikes and my dad found a pitching coach for me by the time I was 10 years old.”
Every Sunday for seven years Galindo was driven to Shiner by her parents, Wendy and Clayton, to polish her pitching and batting skills and she joined Select teams and traveled to play ball. She has been playing currently for John Reyes on the Texas Most Wanted team for the last two years.
Reyes said Cheyenne hates to lose and is aggressive on the field. “When she’s on the mound she doesn’t show any emotion, and that’s a good trait for a pitcher to have,” he said. “If the score was 20-0 and you looked at her face, you wouldn’t know if she was on the winning or losing team.”
Even though she beyond excited about continuing her softball career, she doubted which way to go at first.
“I knew I wanted to go to college, but I wasn’t sure where, and I didn’t even know if I wanted to play softball. I’ve played the game practically my whole life and sometimes it feels like a job, but I couldn’t imagine not playing at the next level.”
So she emailed Lindsey Ortiz, Head Jaguar softball coach, to express her interest in their softball program, and sent Ortiz video.
Ortiz said she was drawn to Galindo athletic ability in more ways than one and invited her to a prospect camp last month. “I was immediately drawn to her size and the movement on her pitches. When she attended our recruiting camp I was equally impressed with her in person, and I saw she still has a lot of untapped potential. In getting to her know I can see she’s a hard worker who is ready and willing to learn new things.”
At the camp, Galindo felt she found her future athletic home.
“The Jaguar softball girls had to help so I got to meet the team and the coaches. It felt right, and UHV is close to home. That’s when I knew I wanted to be a Jaguar.”
Galindo told Ortiz her decision and on Feb. 7 she accepted a partial scholarship and signed a letter of intent to be a pitcher for the UHV softball team.
In her years at Ganado High, Galindo has been a three-year starter in softball and earned Texas Sports Writers’ Association All-State honorable mention honors as a pitcher in 2015. She was also named to the Victoria Advocate’s All-Area team after compiling a .416 batting average with 23 RBI, seven doubles, a triple and a home run. As a pitcher, she tossed 162 innings with a 3.50 ERA and 135 strikeouts while helping lead the Maidens to the regional quarterfinals.
Wendy said although her daughter is good at holding her excitement in, she could see the happiness on Galindo’s face.
“Getting to the next level of softball is something she’s been wanting to do for a long time, and it makes me proud to see she’s made it to that level.”
Maiden softball will have played their first game in Van Vleck on Feb. 21 and will compete in a tournament at Tidehaven Feb. 23-25, so Galindo is just getting wound up for the first game of her senior season.