By Pat Turner

Pearland - Kystal Barajas enjoyed playing softball and serving as an athletic student trainer
at Pearland High School.

Now, she'll get a chance to enjoy the two activities the next two years at Cisco Junior College.
The Lady Oilers' first baseman recently signed a scholarship to play softball.  However,
she'll spend time as a trainer in the fall, working football and volleyball.

"Cisco really gave me a good opportunity," said Barajas, who also received interest from Navarro College, Southwest Texas, Angelo State and St. Louis. "I went out there and tried out for the team. The next day the coach called me and told me what she could do for me. I liked it
up there. The school is small and everyone knew each other. "I really wanted this. I've worked 
hard for 13 years to get to this level. I'm excited about it. I was talking to one of the coaches and he went there and loved it. I can't wait to get there." 

Being able to serve as a trainer makes her decision even more exciting. It's going to be a heavy 
work load.

She'll work as a trainer in the fall for football and volleyball and concentrate on softball in
the spring. That shouldn't be a problem for Barajas. After all, her schedule was fairly hectic
at Pearland.

She was a trainer for football, boys basketball and boys soccer. At times during softball, she even helped as the team's trainer.

"I like helping people who play sports," Barajas said. "When they do get hurt, I want to help them get back to what they love to do. Nobody knows best about that than another athlete." 

Barajas excelled in softball this past season. She batted 277 and was also solid in the infield. Because of her consistency, the Lady Oiler's senior was named Most Improved Player. 

Making an impact was something Barajas wanted to do going into the season. She spent extra time working on her hitting and fielding. The dedication paid off in a big way.

"My coach (Laneigh Clark) really helped me a lot," Barajas said. "My other coaches were helpful when I was younger and my dad (Al Barajas) did a lot for me. I felt a lot better this year. This year I was positive and I knew my time would come if I worked harder. I worked on my hitting all summer and fall. I knew I had to do that, because I can get into a slump real easily."

Now she'll be carrying the same attitude to college. She's playing softball for the Texas Chaos
this summer. Her team consists of several junior college and college players.

Barajas intends to use that experience as a good orientation for junior college softball.

"It will help me prepare," Barajas said. "The competition will be good and talking to the players
about what they do at the junior college level will also be helpful. I have to keep my skills and improve on a lot of things. I need to be more self disciplined with my work ethic."