Junior shortstop spurs talent-rich Black Tornado with all-around flair entering first 6A state final in 8 years

As she sat in the North Medford dugout, the anxious energy stemming from Natalie Tlascala was palpable.

The junior shortstop smiled, she laughed, she talked at length on any number of subjects, but as teammates filtered in and out of the dugout area to have their photo taken for Saturday’s Class 6A softball state championship game, Tlascala also couldn’t help but want the clock to immediately fast forward.

“I just want to be there already,” she said with a laugh. “I’m excited because there’s a jumbotron, and our photos are gonna be on it, and that’s really cool. And I’m just really excited to be on that field. It’ll be fun. It’ll be a great experience.”

North Medford, the Southwest Conference champions and No. 4 seed, will face No. 3 Sherwood for the 6A title at 3 p.m. Saturday at Jane Sanders Stadium, on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene.

The Pacific Conference-champion Bowmen beat the Black Tornado in a playoff primer for both teams by an 8-1 tally on May 20. Sherwood (28-3) has never played for a state championship in program history, while North Medford (24-6) owns eight state crowns — the most recent coming in 2017.

“It feels surreal, like it doesn’t feel real at all,” Tlascala, 17, said of playing for a state title. “Every single playoff game that we’ve had, I’m always like, this could be our last game together, so I try to have as much fun as I can with my team. And now just being here, I don’t have that stress of being like, ‘Oh, we have to win this game to get to the next one.’ I’m like, OK, we’re here, so let’s just win it. Let’s try to be the best we can.”

If anyone knows about being the best they can be, it’s certainly Tlascala.

The SWC player of the year played a prominent role in the Black Tornado earning its first conference title since 2021, and it’s a challenge for anyone on the team to value whether her offensive or defensive abilities have been more important to an already memorable season.

“That’s a tough question,” said North Medford head coach Chris Campbell. “I mean, we pitch a lot of kids to just, hey, hit the ball to Nat, hit the ball to Nat. And then at other times, it’s like, hey, just get me to Nat in the lineup, and we’ll produce something. So that’s really a tough question to answer.”

Fortunately for North Medford, it’s not an either/or situation, because Tlascala brings the same passion for effort and production in each realm.

“She’s just truly a special kid,” said Campbell. “She puts in a ton of work, and is never afraid to try a new task or try to do something different. When you get to be a junior in high school, a lot of your mechanics and a lot of those things are set in stone, but she’s one of those kids that will keep learning, keep listening, always trying to get better.”

“It just shows every day here at practice,” added the coach. “I mean, she’s going all out, diving for balls, setting an example of what is truly needed to be part of this team this year, and it’s been a great blessing for us as a program. And I think she’s reaping quite a few rewards from just being that open-minded kid.”

Tlascala either leads or shares the lead in just about every offensive category for the Black Tornado, so much so that McMinnville was willing to walk her to put the go-ahead run on base in the third inning instead of taking their chances with her at the plate during the semifinals this past Tuesday.

The 5-foot-6 standout is batting .466 with 39 RBIs, 36 runs scored and nine stolen bases. She has hit five home runs to go with four triples and nine doubles.

None of it has come without hard work and plenty of mental fortitude, including on the defensive side where she boasts a lightning-quick release and a .921 fielding percentage.

“I’ve been told in my life that I’m not going to be a shortstop when I’m older and in high school,” she said, “and I got told I’m not a good hitter and stuff, so I worked every single day in my life to be a good hitter, to be a good shortstop.”

“I watched videos of colleges and how they can be quick at releasing the ball, everything I could,” added Tlascala. “I think that’s also what pushed me to have more of a passion for the game, because I worked hard for it based off all these critiques in my life. It really has made me who I am, personality-wise. When people get critiqued around me, I always bring them up, because I know how hard that can push someone down and crush them.

“There’s a difference between being on a team and being a team, so that’s what I try to do is try to help everyone fit in. I feel like that’s what my goal in life is, to always have people feel like they’re wanted.”

It’s part of that relatability that has Tlascala, who is an early Oregon Tech commit, envisioning a career in mental therapy for athletes and children.

She said a great deal of North Medford’s success this season can be attributed to a team chemistry that has built to a rock-solid foundation by now after having nearly all the roster return from a year ago.

“I think we are positive and talk to each other and really try to win for each other,” said Tlascala. “It’s more of a ‘we’ team, not a ‘me’ team, and that’s what we really see it as. What I love about my team is that we play for each other and not just for ourselves. We work hard for our team because we know our teammates want it as much as we do.”

“When Julia (Edwards), our pitcher, is out there, she has a positive mindset, positive attitude,” she added. “She’s always picking us up and saying ‘good job’ and ‘way to go all-out for that’ all the time, and it really helps. It makes me want to play for her and do better for her, because if I have that support, then I want to be that support for them, too.”

There’s really nowhere a Tornado can turn without finding some level of support these days.

At no point in the batting order is there a giveaway out, from leadoff star Maili Hamlin (.390, 45 runs, 28 stolen bases) on down the line.

Maleyah Thoele, in her first year since transferring from South Medford, is batting .366 with 32 runs, 24 RBIs and four triples, while fellow first-year standout Becca Tuivanu has been on a tear to raise her batting average to .447 with 31 RBIs, 21 runs, nine doubles and four home runs).

Caileigh Raines (.299, 19 RBIs), Edwards (.310, 15 RBIs), Hall (.253, 18 RBIs) and Kaelyn Russell-Tyler (.284, 18 runs, 12 RBIs) have been especially key in North’s four playoff victories.

The lineup is also full of players who take tremendous pride in defense, allowing for a .942 team fielding percentage and a host of sensational running catches in the outfield or crisp plays in the infield to support Edwards (17-3, 2.65 ERA) inside the circle and Hall behind the plate.

“I feel like we do go all-out because we don’t want anything dropping,” said Tlascala. “We want to work hard for Julia and Sadie, because they’re working hard every pitch. Sadie is like a wall behind the plate, she’s great, and Julia is just pitching her best all the time, 24/7.”

Tlascala actually cut her teeth in softball as a left fielder, but soon grew to realize that the infield was more suited for her skillset.

“I used to be in left field, and I’m like, no, I want to be an infielder. I can’t track a ball for my life, either, so I don’t like it,” she said laughing at those early memories on the diamond. “I have too much time to think. I need to react, not think. So I’ve played shortstop since I was 9 or 10.”

Those quick reactions by Tlascala have been a trademark of a Black Tornado defense that’s allowing 1.5 runs per game in the playoffs.

“Natalie is great, oh my gosh,” Edwards said of her teammate’s impact after Tuesday’s semifinal. “That’s how she deserved player of the year, she’s just a great all-around player. Natalie gets the ball and it’s out; it shocks me every time.”

Campbell said the way Tlascala conducts herself in the infield — constantly communicating with teammates, making the routine and tough plays without fear and holding others to a high standard — has definitely been influential.

“She’s got a cannon for an arm,” added the coach. “It’s funny because usually girls that have arms like that, they’re a little more methodical, because they can always rely on their arms. And  a lot of times you don’t know those kids and their speed right off the bat, so she just never takes that off. She just is quick up, quick out. There’s a couple two or three bang-bang plays in both the Oregon City game and the McMinnville game that if she takes half a second longer, they’re safe. She’s worked hard to do that.”

For that part, Tlascala is happy to receive such praise, but definitely is quick to say that it should be shared.

“I also have a lot of confidence in my throws because of my first baseman, Caileigh Raines,” she said. “She’s been my throwing partner and first baseman since I’ve been little, so I always have confidence in her just catching any ball. I just love her so much.”

It’s a love that transcends throughout the North Medford crew for Tlascala, and a passion to play for each one of her teammates that can also lead to her maybe being the most prone to emotional outbursts during a game.

“I keep getting told all the time since I’ve been little that I’m a different person when I’m on that field,” she laughs. “I think it’s because I have so much passion for the sport, and I have so many emotions throughout the whole entire game. I’m not gonna lie, it’s so amazing how much you can feel playing a sport, and I just love it so much. I’m gonna put my all out there every time.”

Reach sports editor Kris Henry at kris.henry@rv-times.com or 458-488-2035