Notable accomplishments and longevity as a softball organization under the same founding coaches is a part of the history of the Sierra Vista Hot Peppers.  Hot Pepper players have gone on in their growth as players to set new records and to graduate from colleges or have gone into the job force as outstanding contributers themselves. Coach Bill has been named Coach of the Year numerous times including  the Sierra Vista Herald in 2007#1; 2006 #3 ;2005 ranked #5 ; 2002, 2001, #3 in the areas coaches out of twenty nominees.  Standout notable accomplishments in his career have been a ASA national women's championship in 1992 in Memphis, Tennessee, 2001 TCS Western National Hall of Fame Championship, 2002 a second place finish in the ASA B 16 and under Nationals, state championship ASA B 16 and under, 2004 TCS Western National Hall of Fame Championship in 18 and under, 2005 a third place finish in the TCS Western Championship and second place finish in ASA A 18 and under Regionals, 2009 Pitching Coach for 2009 SV 12 and under Diamonds USFA Western National Champions and being named coach of the year numerous times through out the 40 plus years of history of the team plus continued consulting coach for area teams.(Since 2001, Coaches Bill and Sandy have been named as area top ten coaches of the year also including the year that they did not coach on the field but received honors as Hall of Fame inductees were named #2 Coaches of the year in the top ten area coaches. )  Co Founder and Coach Sandy Roberts,  began as a player with the AA ASA women's Hot Pepper team and later took on coaching duties.   Coach Sandy also was Assistant Varsity Coach at Buena for 10 seasons. Both she and Coach Bill have been ASA District/youth commissioners.  Sandy is also an author of the book "Life's Highways", a book of poetry.  Their daughter Tisha began with the Peppers as one of the original 'bat girls', continued as an exceptional player who brought the Peppers many seasons of championship play, and on into coaching both with the Peppers and as a Junior Varsity Coach at Buena High school. Tisha was a three time ASA All American Pitcher who led her team to the 1992 ASA National title.   In many seasons of play, Tisha was the only pitcher for the Sierra Vista based team.  She loved the sport of softball and the time she spent with her parents working together in the game of softball.  The softball world lost a dedicated and loyal participant who willingly gave back to the sport in October of 2009 and Bill, Sandy alost their only child and her sons lost their beloved mother. 

Both Bill and Sandy were honored in 2005 when the city of Sierra Vista dedicated the naming of 'Robert's ' softball field in Sierra Vista and the opening of an exhibit at the Hank Hauser Museum on the past 36 plus years of the Hot Peppers under coaches Bill and Sandy.  In 2007 both Bill and Sandy, who began a dream offering an opportunity of softball play for over 36 years now over 40 years to young girls and young women, were inducted into the ASA Arizona Softball Hall of Fame-a highlight of their career of their loving passion to the game of fastpitch softball.  They will celebrate 43 years of marriage in 2012 as well.  Sandy's mom Micky Bosworth passed away in March of 2010 and is very much missed as is Sandy's dad-Harley who passed away in 2002 both were Veterans of WWII. Both traveled many miles to watch their grand daughter and daughter play softball.     " Our daughter -Tisha is no longer with us, she passed away at the age of 39 in 2009.  Tisha was one of the founding members of the Hot Peppers-playing from the 12 and under, all the way into women's fast pitch softball one of the few players along with her Pepper team mates who helped win an ASA womens National Tourney and be selected as a first string All American Pitcher three times after several trips with her team to ASA Nationals.  Tisha also was a member of the coaching staff at Buena High School as the JV coach. Tisha's sons- Keelund, Chandler and Billy are the grandsons of Coaches Bill and Sandy, and great-grandsons of Micky.   Sandy's mom-Micky one of the teams biggest fans,  passed away on March 14 in 2010.  Tisha and Micky both passed away within 5 months of one another-a devastating loss to us all."

     In 2008 Coaches Bill and Sandy were asked by the parents of a young 11 year old to work with her on pitching and softball skills. It did not take long for them to decide to work with young Jade Allee.  Jade now plays for the 16 and under Hot Peppers and the coaches of the Peppers were recruited to work with their pitchers.   So in reality Bill and Sandy have continued to choose to stay involved in the area of softball by still teaching the game beyond their retirement in 2006. The 12 and under Sierra Vista Diamonds competed and won the USFA Western Nationals at Carlsbad, New Mexico in 2009.  They just completed competing in 2010 in the 16 and under GFP for the Hot Peppers and Coaches Bill and Sandy during their start up fall season in 2010. The Peppers continue play in 2011 and have gone from their summer season and travel to the Western Nationals in Prescott to their  fall season of play.  They took third place in their first tourney of play in Xtreme Fastpitch only one out away from playing in the championship game and recently won their first championship going undefeated in USSSA Ribbon Qualifier in Phoenix with a 7 wins 0 loss record.  Now they  have one tourney left to play this fall with their young 16 and under team. The Peppers have been playing the season shorthanded but look enthusiastically to 2012 and more travel and lots of competition once again as they ready themselves for the summer season of play. 

     At the height of the Pepper existence Coaches Bill and Sandy, their mom-Micky, had the terrible news that their beautiful daughter and grand daughter- Tisha had suddenly passed away, the worst news any parent can receive, she was only 39 years old and leaves behind her parents, her widowed husband and her three sons.  Tisha's family-her husband Alan and her three sons grieve deeply at her loss.  For all of the Peppers and families, the game will go on, but it will never be the same for any of them.  Tisha was at the heart of the organization. We continue to give back to our sport and dedicate our seasons of play and work with players who dare to dream to our beloved daughter Tisha and her young sons-Keelund, Chandler, and Billy- this 2011 softball season...................Sleep tight dearest Tisha, Love Always, mom and dad and your sons

(Bill and Sandy 2011) 

                   Love

                   Coaches Bill and Sandy 
                   (1971-2011)

Hot Peppers Battle Winter Storm to Finish 9th Out of 22 Teams in USSSA National Qualifier

      Phoenix, Arizona-USSSA Rip It College Exposure (National Qualifier); the 16 and under Hot Peppers Softball team ended their 2011 last tourney  in  a 9^th  place tourney finish out of 22 teams.  A bad winter storm passed throughout the state over the weekend and once again the rains came.  The tourney officials called games to a close on Saturday night Dec 3d but then resumed play on Sunday.   It seemed more like football season than softball season with temperatures dropping in the low 40’s.  The Sierra Vista team dressed in cold weather gear and hand warmers in their pockets, found Phoenix to be cold and wet in their final tourney of the season.  Other tourneys around town and in Tucson were actually cancelled due to the extreme weather conditions.  The Peppers took second place in their round robin pool bracket based on runs given up and runs scored,  they were 2 wins and 1 loss.  They won 5-1 over the Phoenix Outlaws and won 4-3 over the Az Wildfire and lost 6-1 to Scottsdale Fever in round robin play.  In the single elimination portion of the tourney, the Peppers lost 6-3 to AZ Force after going into the fifth inning tied 3-3 but gave up 3 unearned runs in the inning to lose 6-3.

      In the first game of single elimination play, Pepper pitcher Cindy Chon started on the mound for the Peppers in the 6-3 loss to AZ Force.  Chon got the loss giving up a total of 4 hits and 6 runs with several Pepper defensive errors before giving way in the top of the 6th to relief pitcher Erica Zaborac.  Zaborac shut down the AZ Force offense and the game ended with the Hot Peppers unable to bring runners home in the bottom of the 6^th inning.  The Peppers started off getting behind as the Phoenix team’s batters scored their first run in the second inning.   The Hot Peppers held the AZ Force team from scoring in the top of the third and then the Peppers offense rebounded in the bottom of the inning when shortstop Salana Thomas smashed a double into center field.  Thomas advanced to third off an infield out by Erica Zaborac then scored off a single into left by the designated player Selah Broady.  Then in the top of the fourth inning, the AZ Force team got one single into left followed by a quick bunt with a Pepper error on the play.  The first runner scored off another Pepper error in the infield to put them ahead 3-1 going into the bottom of the fourth.  The Hot Peppers first baseman Aliaja Bothwell got on with an error by the shortstop and she advance another base off a solid long hit into left field by Pepper Catcher Jonalyn Alcala.  Two Peppers were now in scoring position with no outs when outfielder Kyrstan Garcia connected with a double into right field to score both runners on base, but then the Peppers made three outs in a row and the scoring ended for the Sierra Vista team with the game now tied going into the fifth.  The top of the fifth found the Peppers in trouble when three runners got on base in a row off of three fielding errors then with bases loaded and two outs, the AZ Force hitter found a hole in the Pepper outfield as she blasted a long hard hit double between the Pepper outfielders to score the three runs on base and put them ahead 6-3.  The Peppers could not manage getting any more runners on base in the bottom of the sixth and the Sierra Vista team was eliminated from single elimination play. Leading hitters for the Peppers were Salana Thomas with a double and a single; Jonalyn Alcala with a double and a single; Kyrstan Garcia with a double and 2 RBI; Erica Zaborac, Selah Broady and Caitlin Syphurs each had singles.

     In Game three of the round robin play, Pepper pitcher Erica Zaborac started on the mound for the Peppers against Arizona Wildfire.  She gave up 4 hits and 3 runs before Jade Allee came on in relief in the game to get the win 4-3 when the Peppers scored the go ahead run in the fourth.  Allee gave up 2 hits and no runs.  Pepper pitcher Cindy Chon finished the game in the last inning shutting down the AZ Wildfire team.  Carrying the big bats for the Peppers were, Cindy Chon getting 3 hits; Jade Allee with 2 hits; Jonalyn Alcala with a double; Caitlin Syphurs, and Aliaja Bothwell each got singles.

     In game two of the round robin the losing pitcher for the Peppers was Jade Allee, 6-1 to Scottsdale Fever.   She gave up 6 hits, 4 runs and had 3 strike outs.  Pepper pitcher Erica Zaborac relieved in the fourth inning giving up 3 hits and 2 runs. The top hitters for the Peppers in the game were Cindy Chon with a bunt single and Erica Zaborac with a single.

     In game one in their first game of the weekend, the Hot Peppers got the win in a short played rain out game against the Phoenix Outlaws.  The Peppers were scheduled to play first at 5pm then two more games in a row on Saturday night but the lightening and rain prevented games from continuing for teams on Saturday night as the winter storm arrived and put the tourney on hold for the rest of the night. The Peppers were leading 5-1.  Pitching for the Peppers was Cindy Chon giving up 2 hits and 1 run.  Lead batters in the short game were Jade Allee, Erica Zaborac with 3 RBI, and Selah Broady each with a double and single; Cindy Chon with 2 singles; Salana Thomas with 2 singles and an RBI, Caitlin Syphurs had a single in the game as well.

     The Hot Peppers final standing out of the 22 teams was  9^th.  The cold weather play has resulted in a couple of key player injuries that need to heal.  This was the last tourney of their 2011 season but the team will return to action in 2012. The leading batting averages in the tourney for the team were Cindy Chon with a .600; Salana Thomas with a .444; Jonalyn Alcala with a .429; Jade Allee with a .400; Erica Zaborac and Caitlin Syphurs with a .375.  The Hot Peppers will have their awards banquet on Dec 17 for the summer and fall season of 2011.

Hello everyone, the Arizona Softball Foundation has put their new website online now, for everyone to look at.  The webmaster is Emily Alexander.  The site celebrates the history-from the pioneers who put Arizona firmly on the softball map to our current day stars playing on the world stage of softball.  On the site you can see information about the history of the ASF.  Arizona Hall of Fame Members with their Bios and pictures.  There is scholarship information and a list of past recipients, with numerous photos of plyers, teams and contributers.  If you are an avid softball enthusiast, come in and enjoy browsing the site and meet many of the people who helped make women's fastpitch softball what it is today.  Many of them are still involved in fast pitch competition especially as coaches and contributers.  You will be amazed at some of the people who have been honored by the Softball Foundation-you probably know or have heard of many of them.  The foundation is always looking for new members and for donations into the scholarship foundation.  They welcome participation in their golf tourney and other fundraisers for the Foundation.  Come in and explore the website and take a trip with us all down memory lane.  Coach Bill and Coach Sandy are proud and honored to be members of the Arizona ASA Softball Hall of Fame as 2007 Inductees.

http://arizonasoftballfoundation.org

http://arizonasoftballfoundation.org/contributors/index.php

http://arizonasoftballfoundation.org/contributors/roberts-bill-sandy.html

We do not know where all the Hot Pepper players are these days and only by word of mouth do we hear about some of them.  We do know that we have lost some wonderful individuals who were full of life and who loved the Hot Peppers and also love the game of fastpitch softball. These women were daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, and grand daughters to us all.  Please join us in honoring these women won't you?

1.  Donna Opitz-member of the Pepperettes farm team and Hot Peppers Women's team   Donna passed away suddenly in June 2005. Donna is missed by her loved ones.

2.  Tisha Noelle Roberts-Oldham-member of the Hot Peppers Youth team 12 and under-18 and under, and Hot Peppers Women's team (three time ASA All American Pitcher).  Tisha passed away suddenly and was the only child of Coaches Bill and Sandy Roberts. She left a husband and three sons who grieve for her daily.    05/11/1970-10/10/2009

3.  Becky Babuca-member of the Hot Peppers original women's AA team for 7 years in 1971-1978.  Becky passed away from a heart attack suddenly in November 2009.  She had three children and several grandchildren.  Her husband Robert preceeded her in death.  Becky had recently remarried after being widowed for 9 years.