A four-year varsity standout, Wilcox senior Serena Cadena has been a key fixture for the Chargers softball team since 2017. Starting at third base and hitting in the heart of the order, Cadena has been a run-producing machine since stepping on campus.
Unfortunately, with schools being closed for rest of the year, her senior season has been cut far too short. League play had yet to even begin when the games were first postponed. This was a year that Cadena and her teammates were expecting to bounce back strong after a disappointing 2019 campaign.
“It definitely sucks,” remarked Cadena on missing out on her senior season. “I felt like we would do a lot better this season. I think as a team we were on the right track. If we had put the pieces together, we could have done pretty well. We all thought this was going to be our season.”
The next time Cadena will likely appear in a competitive softball game is during her freshman season at Cal State East Bay. Cadena has a softball scholarship to play for the Pioneers. She plans to study sociology, a fitting major for the Wilcox team leader. Not only is Cadena known for getting her teammates energized before games, but also went out of her way to help the younger players.
“I lead by example but I know how to get the girls hyped up too,” said the senior. “We have a lot of younger classmen too, showing them how they can get to our level.”
“Serena is a great player on and off the field, in the classroom and the weight room,” complimented Wilcox Head Coach Vanessa Chagoya. “She took the initiative to give the younger classmen a helping hand with their new adjustments as freshmen and those coming up from JV.”
Cadena says she feels proud to have been able to play for Wilcox and that she left the program stronger than she found it.
“I definitely feel like I will have left a positive mark on the program. I left it all out on the field.”
