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SOPHMORE SLUGGER DESIRAE SPEARMAN CONTINUES HISTORIC SEASON FOR NMSU SOFTBALL

By GEORGE WILLIS

MIAMI--Under the clear blue skies of a perfect Sunday morning at Felsberg Field on the campus of Florida International University, a competitive softball game was deadlocked when New Mexico State’s Desirae Spearman, reminded everyone just how extraordinary she truly is.

In the top of the third inning, Spearman slammed a towering fly ball over the leftfield fence for a solo home run that gave the Aggies an early 1-0 lead. It was the third straight game where the sophomore slugger had left the yard, giving her 15 home runs for the season and improving her standing as one of the best collegiate softball players in the nation.

“I’m very proud of that young lady,” her grand-mother Maria White said, while watching from the stands. “She’s unbelievable.”

The Aggies dropped two of three games at FIU continuing a season of highs, lows and lots of growing. But Spearman’s brilliance was on full display. During the three-game series, she had five hits in seven at-bats, including three home runs, and four RBI. She pitched 12 scoreless innings during one stretch over the second and third games.

Spearman and the Aggies departed Miami 18-14 with plenty of regular season remaining before the Conference USA tournament begins May 7 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. There is time for the Aggies to gel as a unit and Spearman to gain more national accolades.

“We have a lot of new people and we’re trying to figure out who we are as a team,” Spearman told the AggieNIL newsletter. “I think we’ve set a standard where we want to be. We can only grow from here.”

It should be no surprise that Spearman is having a dominating season. The 19-year-old from Hanks High School in El Paso, Texas, entered her second year at NMSU as the reigning CUSA Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year after hitting 16 home runs, driving in 43 runs and batting .366 last year. She also compiled an 8-4 record as a pitcher with a 3.15 ERA and 75 strikeouts. Theright-hander was named CUSA Freshman of the Week five times.

She left Miami having already belted 15 home runs on the year with 35 RBI, and a .494 batting average. Opponents are starting to fear her at the plate, evidenced by the 30 walks she has received.

As a pitcher, she complements a quick fastball with an ankle-breaking change-up. She stood 8-4 after 14 starts with a 2.78 ERA and 69 strikeouts.

“I strive for perfection in everything I do,” Spearman said. “That can be good or that can be bad. I think most of the time it’s a good thing. I feel my athleticism mixed with my mindset and my competitiveness give me an advantage.”

Attending to New Mexico State has allowed Spearman’s family to follow her career. “It’s one of the reasons I chose New Mexico State,” she said. Her mother Susan Avena works at the University of Texas-El Paso and is able to take time off to attend all of her daughter’s games home and away. In Miami, she was joined by Desirae’s grand mother, Maria, who lives in Kentucky.

“I’m excited to follow her all over the country to see her continued success,” Susan Avena said. “She works hard, so she’s always striving to get better. I’m just fortunate and blessed to be able to witness it firsthand.”

It was her mother who taught Spearman the finer points of playing softball and fed her love of the game after flirting with gymnastics. Her mother, who played softball during the 1990s glory years at Bel Air High School, also taught her daughter to get better instead of complaining. By age 11 Spearman was going to softball camps and understanding this was something she was good at.

“With softball I could go out there and be myself,” she said. “I didn’t have to please anybody but myself. It was a game of failure and I was good at not failing as much as other people. Once I quit gymnastics, every Saturday and Sunday I would pitch to my brother and do drills with my mother until there was no more sun. I could go out there and be myself.”

Her mother noticed her passion. “I saw her strive and excel at softball,” Susan Avena said. “When I would tell her one thing, her eyes would light up as if to say, ‘I got this.’ You could see her hone in on whatever we told her and always strive for the best.”

There are times when Spearman says she puts too much pressure on herself trying to be perfect at the plate and on every pitch from the mound. “It’s definitely something I struggle with just because I want to give my team my all and I want to go up there every time and hit a home run for them,” she said. “It’s hard for me to accept a walk sometime. But I think I’m getting better with that.”

Aligning with A-Mountain Sports is an added benefit of going to New Mexico State. Her partnerships helped her host a softball camp for about 50 girls ages 10 to 12 last summer at Hanks High School. She hopes to make it an annual event. “I felt like last year, I had a really incredible season and without A-Mountain I don’t think anybody would have ever known it,” she said.

Attending camps as a youngsters is where Spearman built a relationship with NMSU head softball coach Kathy Rodolph and associate head coach Cat Heifner. “It’s was good they knew me as a person and not just a player,” she said. “It was easy to trust them and go all out for them.”

Giving her all is what Desirae Spearman tries to do every game, every pitch and every at-bat. That’s how to achieve greatness. “I want to continue with the accolades I got last year,” she said. “I want to strive to be Conference Player of the Year and I want to lead the national in one category or more. I’d love to say more, but I’d be happy with one. And I want to win a Conference Championship and make it to the regionals. I think that’s all attainable.”

Desirae’s Grandmother, Maria at her game in Miami.

A-Mountain Sports is the Official NIL Collective of the New Mexico State Aggies.