Senior leadership & a youthful spark for Hamilton Softball

By Brett Quintyne

The Hamilton Huskies softball program has been very special over the years.

They are a team that reaches the post season on a consistent basis and last reached the championship game in 2022 under former head coach Rocky Parra.

Lauren Rosales took over the program and led the Huskies to the 6A semifinals in her first season at the helm.

“Last year was quite a jump going from long time assistant to head coach,” Rosales said.

Serving nine years as an assistant coach shows a lot of dedication to a program and it has worked out in her favor.

“I knew I wanted to become the head coach here. I was gonna put it my time,” Rosales said. “There were a lot changes in my life at the same time. Becoming a new mom and trying to balance it all.”

Rosales has a very deep roster to balance this season.

“All three of our freshman are very dynamic,” Rosales said. “They all play multiple positions and impressed us with the bat.”

Amanda Benites hit .400 last year as a sophomore utility player for the Huskies. She led the team in plate appearances and runs scored. The junior is committed to the Utah State Aggies and has a younger sister on the team this year. Alicia is one of the dynamic freshman that Rosales praised.

Teams that go a long way usually have strong senior leadership.

This edition of the Huskies is no exception as all eight seniors on the roster will be playing in college next season.

“I’m looking forward to being part of their last year here and following their success beyond Hamilton,” Rosales said.

While he didn’t invent the phrase “studette”, it’s a term former Red Mountain head coach Richard Hamilton used when describing Rosales’ playing days at Basha high school.

It’s now a term that Rosales likes for her senior players.

Jazmin Ramirez is a player we will see on the mound and in the field either at 3rd base or shortstop. She is optimistic that the team can do even better than last season.

“I’m very excited for our grind to state. It will be fun to help lead this team” the Utah State commit said. “We will do really well if we get timely hitting and stay healthy” she referred to the numerous injuries that slowed down the Huskies in the first month of 2024.

Another contributor that will garner attention this year will be left handed pitcher Liliana Russo. Russo was second on the team in strikeouts last season and has a good chance to have even better numbers in 2025.

“We have a really good group. There’s a lot going for us this season” the Colorado State commit said. “I tell our younger players to stay calm and be present in the moment” she concluded.

Hamilton won their first two games of the season knocking off Mountain Ridge and Williams Field before heading off to an early season tournament in Bullhead City.

Timely hitting by Benites and strong pitching by Russo and Ramirez have helped spark those early wins. With the depth that this team has you can expect there will be even more contributors as the season goes on.