St. Helena High's Gabriela Vega-Zepeda looks to throw to first base against visiting Fort Bragg on April 3, 2018.
St. Helena High shortstop Gabriela Vega-Zepeda catches the ball to force out Lower Lake's Patti McCleery in May 2018.
With the cancellation of the spring season for high school sports, the Napa Valley Register is recognizing senior athletes who have had their careers come to a premature end due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Today we focus on St. Helena softball player Gabi Vega-Zepeda. A four-year member of the softball program, Vega-Zepeda established herself as one of the Saints’ top offensive players and was in line to help lead what was starting to look like a resurgent season for her team.
Sports:
I played volleyball my freshman year and basketball and softball all four years.
Years on varsity:Basketball for two years and softball three years.
Fun fact:I can eat an Oreo off of my forehead.
Key stats:She was a finalist for Napa County Offensive Player of the Year as a junior after batting .447 with 17 hits, 6 RBIs, and 9 runs scored in 38 at-bats.
What was your reaction to the spring season being canceled?
I definitely took the cancellation of our season hard. I’ve been playing softball since the fourth grade and was always looking forward to my big season my senior year. I think it’s something any athlete looks forward to. Once I was told the news, I was filled with anger and mostly sadness.
What had you hoped to accomplish in your sport this spring?
I had hoped to achieve a better batting average. The last two years I had been really working on my batting and having more focus and confidence once stepping up to the plate. I also hoped to get to the playoffs. My team was on the right track. We were out there every day after school, working hard and making each other better. I had a very good feeling that we’d make it.
How has coronavirus changed your life?
More than I would’ve liked it to. The last three months of my senior year were taken away from me, along with all the fun senior activities planned. I wasn’t able to see my other classmates get their diplomas and I didn’t get to say a proper goodbye to my teachers. Since the shelter-in-place order, I haven’t been able to see my friends and family. It’s really an odd time to live through for all of us.
Have you picked up any new hobbies during quarantine?
Since I have a lot of time on my hands, I’ve gotten into baking and cooking. I’ll admit I’m not the best, but I’ve got to start somewhere. I’ve also gotten more into politics. I realize, being young, it’s my job to be educated in what our country is dealing with and use my voice for change. Being educated is the best weapon I could ever have.
Best memory from high school sports?
That would probably be our basketball game against Fort Bragg. I was unable to play in that game, but I was still there cheering my team on from the sidelines. Since we don’t have big numbers, towards the end of the game my team was getting very tired and losing motivation. So, my coach called a timeout and the team decided if Tina (Almanza, junior) could score a basket, we would get Taco Bell, and she did! We all jumped and screamed over one little victory, which is special. It also was funny because the crowd and players were confused because we were clearly losing.
What advice you would give to younger high school athletes?
Enjoy what you have in the moment. I know it sounds cheesy, but trust me. Cherish the long practices even though you might hate them at the time. Cherish the bus rides, team lunches, stressful games, everything. Leave it all out on the field/court and play your hardest. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Some of my best experiences in high school involve playing sports. So just enjoy it. Know what you have in the moment before it’s gone. Because I’m done, and I’d go back and play another game if I could.
Summer plans:
Working and making money before heading off to college.
Fall plans:
I’ll be attending Pierce College in Los Angeles. I will be attending that college for two years and then transfer to either CSU Northridge or the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (in Los Angeles). I will also continue working while going to school.
Coach Brandon Farrell says
Unfortunately we didn’t really get the chance to coach her like we wanted to just because of the situation (with the pandemic). But she comes from a great family, is very goal-oriented, and has nothing but bright things ahead of her. It was just fun to get to know her for a little bit. I know her family a bit because her younger sister is the same age as my daughter, and it was nice getting out on the field and seeing her as a senior be very adaptable to the changes we were trying to make. That helped our young kids become a lot better and a lot more unified.
She’s played softball since she was a little kid in Little League, so softball, as far as I know, is one of her favorite sports to play. I mean she’s enjoyed it enough to be playing it since she was 8, 9 years old. I know the girls felt like they were on the verge of doing something exciting this season and we didn’t get the chance. That’s the way life goes, but you could tell right away she was adaptable to what we were trying to teach and she was positive with a lot of the young kids that were being brought up.
Senior Spotlight: A celebration of Napa County student athletes
With the cancellation of the spring season for high school sports, the Napa Valley Register is recognizing senior athletes who have had their careers come to a premature end due to the coronavirus pandemic.
With the 2019-20 school year mercifully in the books, The Register wants to give one last shout out to the athletes of the Class of 2020. We wrap up our Senior Day series today with boys tennis and coed badminton.
With the 2019-20 school year mercifully in the books, The Register wants to give one last shout out to the athletes of the Class of 2020. We continue our Senior Day series today with track and field.Â
With the 2019-20 school year mercifully in the books, The Register wants to give one last shout out to the athletes of the Class of 2020. We continue our Senior Day series today with boys golf, and girls and boys lacrosse.Â
With the 2019-20 school year mercifully in the books, The Register wants to give one last shout out to the athletes of the Class of 2020. We continue our Senior Day series today with swim and dive.Â
With the 2019-20 school year mercifully in the books, The Register wants to give one last shout out to the athletes of the Class of 2020. We start our new Senior Day series today with baseball and softball.Â
Vintage's Andres Solorio wraps up our series on seniors who didn't get to finish their spring sports due to the COVID-19 shutdown.
Napa High thrower Quentin Dervin, today's Senior Spotlight subject, got off to a strong start with a personal record in the shot put.
St. Helena's Gabi Vega-Zepeda, today's Senior Spotlight focus, tells younger athletes to cherish their time playing sports.
Claire Sullivan, today's Senior Spotlight subject, excelled in several events during her time with Justin-Siena track and field.
American Canyon's Jude Cummings, today's Senior Spotlight subject, has been a top sprinter and long jumper the past three seasons.
A Senior Spotlight on St. Helena swimmer Ben Gardner, who had hoped to lead his team to a fourth straight conference title this spring.
Karolina "Karlie" Wells, today's Senior Spotlight subject, has been a staple of the Justin-Siena girls lacrosse program since she was a freshman. The three-sport athlete was voted the Braves' team captain this spring.Â
The South Dakota State signee Emily Dusky is the focus of today's Senior Spotlight. The New Tech student who swims for Napa High was looking to qualify for the CIF State Meet for the third time this spring.
Vintage baseball head coach Rich Anderson felt that pitcher Jake Whipple, the focus of today' Senior Spotlight, was in line to have his best season yet this spring.Â
A three-year varsity starter for Napa High baseball and today's Senior Spotlight subject, Trent Maher was in line to lead the Grizzlies back from a down 2019 campaign.Â
Greta Fast, a four-year varsity soccer and softball player for American Canyon, is the focus of today's Senior Spotlight.Â
St. Helena High baseball star Caleb Jeske, today's Senior Spotlight athlete, was on track to cement himself as one of the best players in school history. Now, with his season canceled, he's finding the silver lining to the COVID-19 shutdown.
Grace Guzman's storied softball career ended prematurely this spring. But the Napa High star and UCLA signee is far from finished in the sport.
A year after helping Justin-Siena's 4x100-meter relay team set a new school record, Blake Hoban had hoped to break more track records.Â
Calistoga's Laila Elkeshen won a volleyball section title and basketball league crown but had her last two softball seasons cut short.
Sarah Husted, the focus of today's Senior Spotlight, was a defensive specialist at shortstop for the Vintage softball team.Â
American Canyon baseball standout James Larson had his lengthy varsity career cut short this spring due to the coronavirus pandemic. He said he'll continue his playing career at Solano Community College next year.
St. Helena sprinter Ryan Searl, the school record holder in the 100-meter dash and focus of today's Senior Spotlight, had his sights set on competing at the state track and field meet this spring.Â
During his prep career, Calistoga's Jesus Rojas-Mendoza never came across a sport he couldn't master. The multi-time all-league and all-county athlete is the focus of the most recent Senior Spotlight.Â
Today's Senior Spotlight is on Justin-Siena baseball standout Nolan Dunkle, who felt the Braves could have won a title this spring.
Another installment of our Senior Spotlight, featuring seniors whose spring sports were canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
Napa High track and field standout Kyle Jezycki, the next focus of the Register's Senior Spotlight project, had aspirations of going to the state meet or breaking a school record.Â
The Napa Valley Register begins recognizing senior spring athletes in the first installment of the Senior Spotlight project.
Contact Gus via phone at 707-304-9372 or email at gmorris@napanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustGusMorris.
In this Series
Senior Spotlight: A celebration of Napa County student athletes
Gus Morris
Sports Reporter
Gus Morris covers St. Helena and Calistoga sports for the Napa Valley Register. Before joining the Register in 2018, he covered collegiate sports for the student publication at the University of Oregon.
