W
hen 2014 Gilroy Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year , Don De Lorenzo and his wife Mia moved to Saratoga Place in 1992 , with their children Dan , Bria and Vinnie , I wondered if they had scouted out the neighborhood before moving in . Because , one of the first things that they noticed was their new neighbor Greg Caudle out in front of the house sitting on a 5-gallon bucket catching his daughter Sarah ’ s pitches . That didn ’ t happen occasionally but daily and for hours . Bria De Lorenzo was seven when they moved in and Sarah ’ s daily practice caught Bria ’ s attention . The Caudles had moved to Saratoga Place in 1980 . Sarah at a very early age knew what she wanted to do and followed through starting with t-ball , slow pitch and then fast pitch . At Gilroy High School she played on the varsity all four years and missed only two of the 160 games . Her coaches were Daren Yafee and Gena Sakahara Gonzales . When Gena was the coach , Sarah and her team won the softball championship with a 32-6 win-loss record .
Sarah received a four-year athletic scholarship to the prestigious Baylor University in Waco , Texas . After college she was hired at Mitty High School in San Jose and at 23 was the head softball coach , and eventually became the Assistant Athletic Director . As coach at Mitty her teams compiled a 126-14 win-loss record .
Sarah wanted me to make sure that I knew that her brother , Trevor , was also a high school athlete who excelled at tennis at Gilroy High and drank the same water that she did .
Through a friend , Sarah met Jordan Thomas while he was studying for his MBA at Cal Poly , San Luis Obispo . They went on to be married and now live in San Jose with their two children . Sarah and her family are weekly visitors to Saratoga Place where Grandpa Greg and Grandma Kathe reside . At some point Grandpa Greg may have to pull out that 5-gallon bucket and start catching for the grandchildren .
The De Lorenzo family is also an athletic family . Don is a professional golfer / golf course manager . Mother , Mia , is a softball player then and now . Son , Dan , played golf for Cabrillo College . Bria , daughter , was a softball all-star . Son , Vinnie , played volleyball for Santa Barbara Community College .
Bria saw how much work Sarah put into becoming an all-star athlete . Bria did the same . From an early age , Bria dedicated herself to becoming an outstanding athlete . She attributes team sports to learning and building camaraderie . She will be the first to say how family support helped her become a better player .
Bria took inspiration from Sarah as well as her coaches Gena Sakahara Gonzales , and Julie Berggren . The three served as role models for setting goals , maintaining discipline and focus . Julie Berggren and Bria are now co-coaches for the Gilroy High School women ’ s softball team . Like Sarah , Bria received a 4-year scholarship , but hers was to Nortre Dame de Namur in Belmont , California . This college was the first in the state to grant baccalaureate degrees to women and is the fifth oldest college in the state . This was perfect for Bria as it was close to home which allowed family and friends to continue to see her excel . Bria broke the school record of three home runs in one game with the last one being a grand slam ! The Notre Dame de Namur newspaper read the following day “ De Lorenzo Powers .”
“ It ’ s the water ” story continues as it was also consumed by Ed Castro and his daughter , Lauren , a senior at Gilroy High School . Lauren is a Gilroy High women ’ s softball standout . She was tutored by Sarah Caudle Thomas and is currently coached by Julie Berggren and Bria De Lorenzo And like Greg Caudle who practiced with Sarah on the 5-gallon bucket . so did Ed with Lauren . Lauren started with t-ball and her mom , Andrea , says it wasn ’ t easy in the beginning as Lauren was very shy . That was then , and this is now — Lauren is the center of attention and helped win the league championship in 2013 . She is the recipient of a four-year scholarship to Canisius College in New York State , ranked as one of the top 20 colleges in the North East . The Castro family is into sports and in addition to her dad Ed , her brother Andrew has played football and basketball . There is a story within a story . The Castro family bought the Saratoga Place home from Andrea ’ s sister , Nancy . Michele , Nancy ’ s daughter , played second base in the Little League World Series .
If you ask any of the three families on Saratoga Place , they maintain that it must be the water that created these Gilroy all stars .
During the 2014 World Series there was an auto commercial featuring the 13-yearold baseball standout Mo ’ Ne Davis , the girl with the 70-mile per hour fastball . The ad concluded with “ Anything is Possible .”
I would agree because it happened on Saratoga Place , a small cul-de-sac off of Miller Avenue … three outstanding high school and college athletes ! And it could very well be the water !
And that ’ s what I love about Gilroy .
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