Sierra Vista's fabulous four

Seniors make young school a force in high school softball

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Together they helped make the Sierra Vista High School softball program one of the premier squads in the entire Silver State.

Kylee Kissane, Stacey Burgos, Rebecca Rumsey and Amber Heinz played for four years on the Mountain Lions varsity team, and along with co-head coach Jerome Streets -- who began at the southwest school the same year as his Fab Four -- they turned the then-1-year-old school into an instant powerhouse on the softball diamond.

In their four years with Sierra Vista, the talented student-athletes led the Lions to fourth- (2003), third- (2006) and second-place (2005) finishes in the Class 4A state tournament and gave the Southwest Division a team that could contend with the established heavies in other divisions around town.

Streets, who had coached at Silverado for five years, said the four changed the culture of the program from day one.

"They set the tone 100 percent," he said. "From the minute they came in they were willing to learn, they worked hard and every kid that's come into our program since then has taken their direction from those four girls."

Although they finished third at state this past season, losing to state runners-up Spanish Springs (35-4) twice in the tournament held May 19 and 20 at Carson City High School in Carson City, the Lions enjoyed their best statistical and most dominating season to date, finishing with a 38-5 record -- including a perfect 12-0 mark in Southwest play -- and racking up impressive 16- and 20-game winning streaks along the way.

Sierra Vista also recorded a mind-boggling 21 shutouts in 43 games.

"When pitchers put the ball where they want to put it, you can get a lot of outs with your defense," Streets said, complimenting his pitching staff led by aces Kissane and Rumsey.

The Lions also went 5-0 in regional play, outscoring opponents 25-8 in the process.

Kissane, who was named Southwest Division MVP after going 17-2 with a 1.44 ERA and 140 strikeouts in 107 innings pitched, said this core group has been playing softball together for almost a decade now.

"Me, Becca, Amber and Stacey, we're close because we played travel ball together," Kissane said. "And me, Becca and Stacey have all been friends since we were 9, so we all knew we were going to go to the same high school and play on the same team together. Then Amber came from Washington before our freshman year."

Besides dominating opponents on the pitcher's mound, Kissane -- who was a first-team All-State pick by the Las Vegas Review-Journal and the Reno Gazette-Journal -- also was a force to be reckoned with in the batter's box as the senior hit .438 with three home runs and 38 RBIs. The versatile Kissane also had 15 stolen bases for the Lions.

Streets said he's never seen another player like Kissane.

"She's the best athlete I've ever coached," he said. "She has all the physical skills that you would want in a softball player and she works extremely hard. So you put those two things together."

Kissane said all the things she learned from Streets and co-head coach Robert Kowalski -- who was promoted to the position after serving as Streets' assistant for three years and who is in his last year at the school -- was invaluable.

"My coaches taught me a lot about pitching and hitting and fielding and everything," Kissane said. "They were really helpful and took it step-by-step and really explained it and made sure we understood. And they weren't too easy on us, like the discipline helped a lot because it showed you where you stood. I had a really good experience."

The right-handed pitcher and hitter said although Streets was all-business, there was a real method to his madness.

"Streets always put it in our heads that what we're doing now is always going to benefit us in the end, which is college," Kissane said. "He was more the tough guy because he was the head coach, so he was a lot more strict. But he was also encouraging. When we messed up, he'd let us know but it was like we better get it down and learn it quick because he's not playing around."

Kissane, who graduated June 12 with a 3.2 GPA, said she will miss Streets very much but knows he will always be there for her.

"I'm just so used to him as my coach it's just going to be really hard to go to a new program and learn new things. I'm just so used to him," she said. "I'm going to miss him a lot but I can always go to him for help."

After getting a full-ride scholarship offer from Wagner College in Staten Island, N.Y. and an invite to walk on at Arizona State University -- where her cousin, Cimarron-Memorial star wrestler Randel Aleman is headed in the fall -- Kissane decided to stay in Las Vegas and will try to walk on Lonni Alameda's UNLV Rebels program in the spring, along with Burgos and possibly Rumsey.

With Centennial graduate Shannon Crisp set to enter her junior year and Las Vegas High's School's Alyssia DeLaTorre and Megan Webb committed to UNLV, the addition of Kissane, Burgos and maybe Rumsey would give the team a definite local presence and a chance to build for a strong future.

"I think this is going to help them out a lot," Kissane said. "They're getting a lot of good girls in the program and I think it's going to make us (UNLV) a lot better. I wanted to stay close (to home). I didn't want to lose friendships or anything or go to far way. I'm excited."

To stay sharp, Kissane plans on playing club ball again this summer with Burgos and Sierra Vista teammates Aurora Pangallo (second-team All-State, .435) and Tayler Aleman (second-team All-State, .434, 54 RBIs) -- also her cousin -- on one of the Lil' Rebels 18 and under teams.

Providing a solid backstop for Sierra Vista as well as a great batterymate for Kissane, Rumsey and the rest of the Lions pitching staff was Burgos, a third-team All-State selection who batted .458 with three home runs and 33 RBIs.

Burgos, who graduated with a 3.0 GPA and who is considering studying for a career in medicine at UNLV, said the coaches expected a lot out of their at Sierra Vista, but it was those high expectations that helped build one of premier programs in Southern Nevada.

"Our coaches were really hard on us and we learned to how to work as a team and hustle and not be like other teams and be lazy," Burgos said. "We ran everywhere we went. You had to have heart to play on our team. If you didn't want to be there, then there was no point in you being there because they worked us really hard. We had to have heart, hustle and dedication."

Streets knows how important Burgos was to the team's success these last four years.

"She's a great leader. And she's not afraid to get in your face when you're not focused on what we're trying to do," he said. "And she's an incredible hitter -- great hand-eye coordination.

"What I loved about Stacey all four years is she's a student of the game. She's a kid that when you would tell her, 'Hey, watch this, watch that,' she would pick it up and then she would make teams pay for their mistakes because she knows the game."

Burgos said Streets helped her become a total softball player.

"He helped me improve a lot. I am going to miss him a lot," she said. "He did teach me a lot of things throughout the four years that I've been there."

Burgos said she felt a great sense of fulfillment with all the team accomplished in her four years at Sierra Vista.

"It makes me feel happy," she said. "It's great that I accomplished something at that school and that we were the first to accomplish something great there."

Like her friend Kissane, Burgos wasn't too keen on the idea of leaving Las Vegas to go to college.

"I didn't want to leave everybody behind. My family and everybody is here and I always wanted to go to UNLV since I was little," she said. "I do know some of the girls (on the team) so it's going to be fun working with them."

Also debating whether or not to attempt to walk on UNLV's team is Rumsey, another third-team All-State selection for the Lions, who went 16-2 with a microscopic 0.87 ERA and 77 strikeouts.

Although she has fielded some offers -- including one to play at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colo. -- Rumsey was still unsure where she would go to school and said she, too, would play club ball for a Lil' Rebels 18 & Under team this summer.

Streets said Rumsey's work ethic is unparalleled.

"Becca has just as many innings as Kylee. Becca's our bulldog," Streets said. "She works harder than any other kid I've ever met in my life. And the other girls basically look to her as their mama -- she's the one that told them what to do. It's not that the other kids weren't good leaders, Becca was their leader. She was their heart and soul. She's just an incredible leader, she's an incredible pitcher."

Asked if the right-hander had what it takes to make it on the next level, Streets said the proof was evident in a couple of big games against some of the toughest high schools in the nation.

"She beat the No. 15 team in the country, Chino Hills, Calif., in the Tournament of Champions, and then she lost to the No. 1 team in the country, Keller, Texas, 2-0, and gave up no earned runs," Streets said.

With an impressive 4.015 GPA, honors student Rumsey said softball isn't everything.

"I'm still keeping my options open. I love softball but if I didn't play it, it would be okay," Rumsey said. "I want to major in biology and become a pharmacist."

Like her graduating Sierra Vista teammates, Rumsey was thrilled with the development of the school's softball program.

"It makes me feel really proud. We really put our heart and soul into making that program what it is," she said. "And all the younger girls that come in will be following in our footsteps."

Rumsey's teammate Heinz also drew the attention of Mesa State College, a school Heinz will attend in the fall on a partial scholarship.

The senior plans to be a catcher for the Mavericks in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, but she ended up playing at third base for the Lions the last two years.

"Streets told me junior year that that's where he's gonna need me," Heinz said. "Honestly, I love catching."

Heinz, who batted .365 and boasts a 3.8 GPA, said she wouldn't mind staying in high school another year as the past four years seemed to just fly by.

"It was just so much fun. And It went by so fast," Heinz said. "I don't think I even got a chance to really enjoy it because it went so fast."

Like Kissane, Burgos and Rumsey, Heinz -- who is debating a career in political science or nursing -- beamed at the idea of what they have done for the program.

"I'm really proud of everything we've done," she said. "You can see the banners in the gym and they look nice but you don't think of all the hard work that went behind it. So it just makes me proud to be able to go in there and remember everything we did."

Heinz was amazed at how much she and her teammates improved playing under Streets and Kowalski.

"It's immeasurable," Heinz said of their growth as players. "We all improved a lot."

Another senior on the team that played three of the last four years on varsity, mostly in a reserve role this past season, was Brianna Fahndrich. Streets said that Fahndrich was always there when he needed her.

"She was the senior that didn't start, she was a reserve. But even she's going to go to play at the next level," Streets said. "Brianna's your ultimate team player. She started almost every game for us last year."

After working with this group of girls for the last four years and developing a program that's qualified for the state tournament in three of the last four years, Streets and Kowalski are going to miss their players.

"Personally I'll miss them a ton," Streets said. "I look at them like daughters. I've been around them for four years and I've coached them in summer ball and fall ball and high school. I've been around their families and I'm going to miss them a lot because they're great kids. I'm extremely proud of what they've done."

And does Streets think there is a sense of expectation at the school now?

"We talked about that with the kids," Streets said. "There is a tradition at Sierra Vista now."