Student-Athlete of the Week – Abbygail Varela
LA QUINTA, Calif. (KESQ) – Abbygail Varela is a senior pitcher for La Quinta High School softball and is this week’s latest student-athlete of the week.
“She is just such a great person on and off the field,” La Quinta’s varsity assistant coach Abby Mulvey said. “It’s such a blessing getting to coach such an amazing person.”
Varela has been playing softball since she was seven years old, and started the sport after watching her sister play. She said she has a unique journey to becoming a pitcher, but it’s worked out as she is excelling as a top athlete on her team.
“In my eight-year team, like, there was no pitchers. So, they kind of just threw me in there, and I kind of just learned to love it,” Varela said. “I don't remember how I did, but I don't think I did very good the first time, just me being thrown out there. But it was a good experience.”
Overtime, pitching was the perfect fit for Varela, and as La Quinta is dominating the Desert Empire League this year, she’s been a key to their success.
“If we're calling a certain pitch or we call a certain pitch multiple times… she's going to hit the spot,” Mulvey said. “I know multiple games where she's had no hitters and close to perfect games. To have multiple of those in a season is so great.”
Mulvey describes Varela as a quiet leader on the Blackhawks team, as she leads by example, especially when it comes to school and her 4.2 GPA. This year, Varela will be graduating in white, showing she’s held a 4.0 GPA through all four years of high school.
“She's just always doing what she's supposed to be doing, which it's like, ‘All right, I want to be like her,’” Mulvey said. “And so she's just a good example for everyone, especially our young ones.”
“I've learned to love school in both aspects of being a student athlete,” Varela said. “It is a really big accomplishment. I think it just shows it's all paid off.”
At La Quinta, Varela has been a part of the Public Service Academy. She said he joined the program because of her interest in criminology and forensics, two things she’s excited to continuing studying as a collegiate student-athlete next year.
“I'm committed to Hastings College in Nebraska to play softball,” Varela said. “It’s obviously really far. So, I'm not going to know anyone from there but, I really want to just learn to adapt to a new place.”
When Varela is not on the softball field, you can find her bedazzling in her free time. She said she even bedazzled the softball for La Quinta’s season photographs, and she hopes to bedazzle more things for her next team at Hastings.
The student-athlete of the week segment airs every Tuesday on KESQ News Channel 3.
If you know a senior who is a strong student, standout athlete and an exceptional person, submit a nomination to share@kesq.com.
