Forever Pirates -- Cayla Ezelle

Our second installment of Forever Pirates to wrap up Softball Week is courtesy of Cayla Ezelle, who attended Orange Coast College from 2015-17. As a sophomore, Ezelle batted .451 with 46 hits, 11 doubles, two home runs and 31 RBI. 

I am beyond honored to have the opportunity to share my story as a Forever Pirate.

First and foremost, my name is Cayla Ezelle, and I am from San Pedro, California. I started playing softball at the age of 4 and instantly fell in love with the game.  From the practices until nightfall, to the weekend doubleheader games, softball taught me the values of determination, endurance, teamwork, and dedication at a young age. For me, softball was not merely just a sport ... it embodied everything that I wanted to be as an individual. I knew that I wanted to play softball in college at 4-years-old, but had no idea where the game would take me.

I competed with some of the most talented girls in the game under outstanding coaches throughout my softball career. I never fully knew where I wanted to go for school or how to get there; I just knew I wanted to compete.

During my junior year of high school, I took a break from travel ball, which was not the wisest decision since most colleges begin recruiting players during their junior year of high school. When I decided to return from my break, my senior year was approaching, and I was behind in the recruitment process.  I knew I needed to keep pushing forward and work even harder. I continued to play, chasing the dream of playing college softball. I was emailing coaches every week, but nothing seemed to be happening for me. I was losing hope and becoming discouraged, regretting the break I took, but I knew softball would eventually find its way back to my life.

One day I got a call at lunch from Coach Jodie Legaspi-Kiaha, my recruiter at the time. B.B. Bates had shared my situation with Coach Jodie and the next thing I know, I am in the car driving down to Orange Coast College to visit the campus and meet my soon-to-be coach. This visit was the reassurance I needed. Instantly when I arrived at the campus, I knew this was the right place for me. As we toured around the campus, every second, every minute, I was falling in love more and more with Orange Coast, and then stepping onto the softball field reignited a passion within me of why I wanted to play. I knew it would be tough to move away from home, but my love and dedication to softball outweighed any fear I anticipated starting college. Also, Orange Coast gave me the comfort of being away from home since it shared the same Pirate mascot as my high school.

My first year at Orange Coast College was overwhelming. I was 18 years old, trying to navigate my way and understand how college worked. It was a blessing to have Coach Jodie and Coach Munch guide me through the process on and off the field and help me through this transition. Coach Jodie enforced being a student-athlete, ensuring that we took care of the classroom first and foremost. Under their wing, I learned how to become better with time management, more efficient in the classroom, and more vocal when I needed help.

I was a financial aid student who desperately needed a job, and Coach Jodie introduced me to Chas Dutro. I met with Chas, and I was allowed to work in the athletic department as a student worker. It wasn't always smooth sailing for me. I had to learn how to be reliable, and I had moments where I struggled with that, but my coaches and Chas never lost hope in me. They pushed me even when I struggled to figure it out and be the best version of myself. Working in the athletic department was such a huge blessing for me. I got to personally know many of the coaches and the staff to whom I respect very much. If it weren't for them, my experience at Orange Coast College would not be the same.

My first season at Orange Coast College was a struggle. I did not perform on the field as I knew I could, but I persevered and had support every day to become 1% better. I was trying to find the balance between being a student and an athlete. Some of my most memorable moments in that first year were; the trip we took to UCLA, Santa Barbara, and our team-bonding events. Our team shared experiences precious to me, and I could not even imagine what my softball career would have been like without attending OCC. My first season at Coast was one of the toughest, but it taught me incredible life lessons both on and off the field.

I knew what I had to work on when the second year came around. My next season was unforgettable, my team took some great wins, and we continued to row the boat. I was a lot more settled when my second season came around. I was in my element, prepared to do whatever I could to help my team. One of my favorite memories was a game against Santiago Canyon, it was the first inning, and we were down by 1 due to a home run. Jenna Hernandez had singled, I was up to bat, locked in, got my sign from Coach Jodie and was ready to go. I was given a perfect pitch to drive; I swung and felt the ball fly off my bat. I started running, realized I hit the ball out of the park, and we were up 2-1. Hearing my teammates cheer and high-fiving Coach Jodie at third was one of the best feelings in the world.

I finally got the opportunity to transfer to continue my athletic career at Hawai'i Pacific University. I experienced life and ball on the island, created many memories and met some great people along the way.

My experience at OCC was one of the best experiences of my life. OCC is filled with some of the best coaches, staff, and caring individuals you will ever come across. OCC took a chance on me and enabled me to live out my dreams. I will forever be grateful to everyone that came across my path and believed in me. I am so incredibly thankful and blessed to have had help from my parents, coaches, and teammates. Big shoutout to Coach Jodie, Coach Munch, Coach Mike, Chas, Kimo, Michael, and the OCC Athletic Department!

GO PIRATES!

Lots of love,

Cayla Ezelle