Cheers and chants echo in the back of the school as players run the bases around the softball field. On Thursday, April 30, the varsity softball team played Brentwood School on Archer’s senior night. This season, however, something was different. There was only one senior to be celebrated.
Cleo Wilson (‘26) has been a member of the varsity softball team for her entire high school career. In the past, the softball team has had victorious seasons with minimal losses. Coming into the season, the coaches said the roster looked promising. However, as the season went on, the coaches began to notice scheduling conflicts, making it difficult for all players to attend.
Mia Flores-Bradford and her brother, Tony Flores Jr., are the coaches of the varsity softball team. The two have worked together as Archer coaches for the past seven years. Flores-Bradford said the only time all 17 team members were present was the very first game, which made the season difficult to coach.
“We don’t have our full team here, so it’s been tough only having eight or nine players. We got 17 on the roster, but we’re not able to have the girls here,” Flores-Bradford said. “That’s been the tough part, not being able to teach and coach a full team. The only time we’ve had 17 girls was the first game. After that, we’ve never had a full team.”
Flores Jr. said the team finally came back together after numerous extracurricular activities conflicted with softball’s schedule, providing the motivation to keep on pushing through the hard games and continue to root for the team. He said that last year, the team only lost twice, while this year, they have only won twice.
“You could say it’s been hard. It’s a hard year for us,” Flores Jr. said. “I think because coming off last year, we were winning a lot more than this year, so now we’re finally starting to come together as a team now that we’re getting girls back, and now we’re going in the positive direction.”
Being able to bounce back so positively was greatly due to Wilson’s positivity, sophomore Jaya Srinivasan said. Srinivasan is also a player on the varsity softball team. Srinivasan played with her for the past two years and said Cleo’s dedication to the team shines through her happiness and positivity.
“Cleo’s energy is on a completely different level than everyone else on the team,” Srinivasan said. “Even in the way she just walks and smiles, you can see that she’s clearly so happy to be here and really cares about everyone being enthusiastic, and she really just wants to spread positivity to everyone around her. She has really been the reason that we’ve held it together on some harder days.”
Wilson said that despite the hardships, the entire team was able to come together in times of stress. While it was a tough season, the bonds brought them all closer as not only teammates but friends, Wilson said.
“We have definitely grown closer as teammates. There is more of a collective because we are all feeling the same experience with issues in the season,” Wilson said. “While it definitely has made the season harder, I do think it has also brought us together as teammates and friends as we try to make the best out of a difficult situation.”
Through the senior speeches, many members of the team reflected positive feelings towards Wilson’s leadership style. Srinivasan said she wonders how Wilson keeps a positive attitude and outlook on hard situations. Wilson said she keeps in mind that playing softball is supposed to be enjoyable.
“Remember, it’s a game. It’s easy with sports to take things too seriously and feel like there is a lot of pressure on whether you win or lose,” Wilson said. “I think ignoring that and remembering it’s supposed to be fun has been my main mindset throughout the season, and I’m glad that has been able to show through my energy and positivity.”
Wilson plays on the team with her sister, Vida Wilson (‘29). While both played on the same teams before, Vida Wilson said this season feels special because it is Cleo Wilson’s last high school season. Vida Wilson said she was proud of her sister and that she was an inspiration to many.
“It’s obviously just such a pleasure to be on the same team as her. She’s always smiling, she’s always laughing,” Vida Wilson said. “Even though some parts of the season were really tough, she was there every time, and she was there to laugh with me. She’s just an amazing leader to the team, and she’s just an inspiration to us all.”
Flores-Bradford said after watching Cleo Wilson progress over the past four years, she is excited to see where she goes after her time at Archer. She is the epitome of an Archer girl, Flores-Bradford said.
“She is a great player to have on this team,” Flores-Bradford said. “I’m so happy for her. When you think of what Archer preaches, strong women and leadership, that’s who she is, and she’s going to do great things after Archer.”
