Rian Stiles loves the game

It was love at first sight.

Maybe it was the colorful double-knit outfits. Maybe it was the custom-fit leather.

Whatever it was, the first time Rian Stiles watched her father play softball, her love affair with the game was on.

“My dad played fastpitch softball and he played slowpitch,” she said. “I remember going to his games and I loved watching him play. I made my mom take me to every game. I loved it.”

And as soon as she was big enough, she made the game her own.

“I started playing just as early as they’d let me,” the shortstop said. “I started out playing T-ball as soon as I could. I played ASA softball every summer. My dad really encouraged me. He showed me the basics and I’ve had some good coaches along the way.

“My select coaches have been really great the last few years.”

A seasoned veteran at an early age, Stiles moved right into the starting lineup as a Central Valley freshman, playing second base for the Lady Bears for three seasons before shifting to shortstop for her senior year.

“The thing about Rian is that she absolutely loves the game of softball,” CV coach Jeff Van Horne said. “With some kids, softball is a spring sport. For Rian and for our catcher, Mickenzie Alden and our third baseman, Ashley Mayhle, softball is their No. 1 sport. They’re always out there, willing to work hard and put in extra work to make themselves better, and that sets an example for the rest of the team.

“They’re always asking if they can stay late at practice and take a few more ground balls – asking what they can do to make themselves better.”

On some teams, having a roster made up of players with varying levels of passion for the game can lead to conflicts.

Not so with the Lady Bears.

“I think you just have to understand where different players are coming from,” Stiles explained. “I think you just have to be a little patient. And you can share some of what you’ve learned.

“I remember what it was like to be a freshman coming in and playing with a bunch of older players. I think that helps.”

Coming into her senior year, Van Horne asked Stiles to move from second base to shortstop as well as taking on responsibilities as a team captain.

“I’ve played short before on other teams, so it wasn’t a big deal,” she said.

Being team captain, along with junior Alden, meant focusing on building team chemistry – something the pair has done admirably.

“We put a lot of time and effort into helping us bond as a team,” Stiles said. “We’ve had team get-togethers all along. We had a team barbecue before our first playoff game. I think that’s really helped.

“Things are a lot different as a senior. Our team has gotten stronger. Our chemistry is so much better than it was when I was a freshman. It may sound a little dumb, but we’re all like sisters. There isn’t the drama on the team that there used to be. It’s nice to be able to look at a teammate and know that they have your back.”

Van Horne is pleased.

“I am so glad I chose them to be team captains,” he said. “They’ve done a terrific job. They’re a big reason we’re where we are: the playoffs.”

Stiles says she’s postponing any decision on her playing future until after the high school season ends – and the same with any thoughts about the bittersweet nature of the end days of a four-year high school career.

She will go on and play college softball, she says. Where, however, is another question.

“I’ve talked to a few four-year schools, but right now I’m kind of thinking I want to play at a two-year school first and then transfer,” she said. “I’ll worry about all of that after the season.”

Whereever Stiles plays, she wants her current teammates to know that she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

“I can honestly say that I wouldn’t want to play with any other team right now,” she said. “I have so much pride in my teammates and how they’ve worked and how they’ve played this season.”