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.  Several players still are on scholarship rosters playing college softball in 2010  This includes: Nicole Smith (3D, SS) SAn Angelo State University, Texas (Senior); Lisa Stensby (3D, 2D) (Junior) TBA; Michelle Anderson (Catcher) Eastern New Mexico State University, Portales, New Mexico (Senior); Jessica Childers (OF) now attends Eastern New Mexico State University (Senior); -Alexa Straton (Catcher) playing at Boise State University as a Freshman in 2009.  Brianna Lee will be pursuing her college degree a little closer to home and will be a senior at the Uof A. Continuing their studies at colleges around the country in 2010 Amanda Wilson attending ASU as a Junior, Regina Nucci attending Cochise College working toward her Nursing Degree 2010, also studing nursing in Phoenix is Jasmine Martan-2010 as a seinor.  Receiving her nursing degree recently is Pepper Alumni Beth Stewart, her sister Abbi is also studying in the nursing program in phoenix College of Nursing.  We are sending big wishes for success to Laura McMillan who recently graduated from Pima and who graduated from Naval bootcamp training in September 2009. 

Bill has been named Coach of the Year numerous times including  the Sierra Vista Herald in 2005 ranked #5 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 and being named coach of the year numerous times through out the 36 years of history of the team.(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. )  Assistant Coach is Coach Sandy Roberts, who 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.  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 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 36 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 41 years of marriage in 2010 as well. Currently, Sandy's mom Micky Bosworth has been honored in the local museum, as a Veteran of WWII.  The exhibit was to honor the veteran's who served and dedicated their lives so that we could live in freedom.  Micky will be 86 years old in August and is also one of the top fans of her daughter-Sandy and son-in-law Bill.  Their daughter -all American Pitcher-Tisha is no longer playing softball, but is now the mother of three sons.  Keelund, Chandler and Billy are the grandsons of Coaches Bill and Sandy, and great-grandsons of Micky. Tisha is one of the founding members of the Hot Peppers-playing from the 12 and under, all the way into women's fast pitch softball.  Tisha also was a member of the coaching staff at Buena High School as the JV coach.  

     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 SV Diamonds and the coaches of the Peppers were recruited to work with their pitchers, then helped recommend some defensive positioning and here in 2009 they are also working on coaching proper hitting techniques with the many members of the Diamond team: Kayleigh, Katie, Cindy, Hailly, Jade, Jonnee, Aliaja, Savaugn, Salana, Lindsay, and Rachel.  This young team is traveling to play in the USFA Nationals and have also welcomed Amanda and Dominique.  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. 

     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, grandmother, 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...................

                   Always
                   Coaches Bill and Sandy 
                   (1971-2009)

Poem written by Rachel Chon-Lopez for Coaches Bill and Sandy
for Their Daughter Tisha who passed away suddenly on 10 Oct 2009

 
She is your moon at the darkest of the night
And the sun in the morning that shines so bright.
 
Because love is a present, a gift, a treasure,
From you to her, there is no measure.
 
Though her presence is absent and you see nothing but air-
Because of her love, she will always be there.
 
Though you can't see her, She will always be.
Inside your heart-Which is more than everyone can see.
 
Love Always Rachel

By now everyone is probably recovering from the holidays and moving on in this new year of 2010.  Our family spent Christmas together with our Tisha's family and while they were here, we had several Pepper players and some of the SV Diamond players stop by to wish us well and give us their condolences on our loss of Tisha.  We had a long distance call from one of our original Peppers on our women's team who we have not heard from in a long time-Tamara 'Arnwine' Fooks (1975-1988).  Tamara just got the new about Tisha-who was only a little girl when Tamara played.  In fact Tamara used to babysit Tisha once in awhile.  Tamara has three daughters who are all grown up and she will become a grandmother for the first time this year.  She lives near Washington D.C., and we were delighted to talk to her after all these years.  Pam Ragatz (1976-1981) is now living and working here in SV and her sister Tammie (1975-1981)has come home for the holidays.  Michelle Anderson a(1999-2006) came by, but we missed her.  Shelly is a senior at  ENMU but she managed to come by our pitching practice with the Diamonds for a visit.  We also saw Melissa Hardy Williams at the practice-she attends ENMU as well and she was at our practice to catch for her sister Brianna.  Melissa never actually played with the Peppers, but she was a friend of our players and we surely tried to get her to play with us.  We saw Jenna Wright (2004-2006).  Jenna is a pretty as ever and works here in town as a cosmotologist.  She is engaged to be married sometime this 2010.  We also ran into Alexa Straton (2005-2006) who is living home and attending college and working part time.  We are proud to report that Ginger Lee (1996-1999) has earned her masters' degree and her mom Sally tells us that we need to refer to her as  doctor.  Ginger's sister Brianna ( 2004-2006)will move to California this year work at Disneyland and attend college too.  We also talked to Patty Egan (1999-2004)-she is teaching over near Palominas and coaching two sporets there as well.  We hope to see her soon.  Nicole Smith is home for the holidays but will return back to Angelo State where she is a senior-she was on the 2004-2006 Peppers. Laura McMillan (1999-2006)  stopped by with her grandparents-Richard and Barbara Anderson.  She was home for the holidays and left already.  If you watched the crowd in New York on New Years Eve you just might have seen her in the crowd jumping up and down and dancing in the streets bringing in the new year. We visited briefly with Shuryl Magargee (1978-1981, 1988, 1989,1990, 1991, 1992) when she stopped by to say hello.  Shuryl works at Buena where she is a teacher and coaches several sports there.  She just finished coaching her successful cross country girls team and now moves onto coaching as the Assistant Varsity softball coach at Buena-congrats to her on her new position.  Mary Cassidy (1971-1979) sent us a beautiful card full of such nice sentiments on her time as a member of the Peppers.  She coaches and teaches in Tucson.  They are not members of the Peppers, but we shared part of our holidays with some of the kids we help coach on the SV Diamonds in the 10 and under and 14 and under.  We worked with Danae Villarreal just before the break along with Brianna Hardy Williams.  We also worked with Hailly Greenough who is playing with the SV Roadrunners right now.  We took our grandsons to the SV Diamonds 14 and under Christmas party-Ricky Copeland, Kelly Thomas, Dave Allee, Mark and Nannette Romo and the girls-Jade, Salana, Savaugn, Mandy, Rachel, Cindy, Katie,  Lindsay, Jonnee, and Aliaja.  We then traveled over to spend time with one of young ladies-Kayleigh and her parents Mike and Crystal Luther.  Kayleigh plays for the 96 Aztecs in Tucson.  We may be leaving off some others and will come back and address seeing them later on. Have a great New Year everyone-we are praying for lots of hugs and time spent with loved ones-time is sometimes a fleeting moment gone before we know it.  Remember to tell your kids that you love them everyday!!!!!

Coaches: Ricky Copeland; Kelly Thomas; Mike Luther (also Team Manager); *Hot Pepper Retired- Coaches Bill and Sandy Roberts.  Players-Kayleigh Le Blanc; Salana Thomas; Jonnelyn Alcala; Jade Allee; Aliaja Bothwell; Katie Scruggs; Cindy Chon; Rachel Chon-Lopez; Savaugn Christman; Dominique; Hailly Greenough; Amanda; and Lindsay Romo

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.