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 will be leaving for Naval 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- Tisha had suddenly passed away, the worst news any parent can receive.  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

Our Hearts Are Broken and All Our Lives Will Never Be the Same as We Say How Much We Love YOU Tisha.

Buena Graduate, ASA 3 time First String All American Pitcher Tisha Noelle Roberts-Oldham passed away Saturday, October 10, 2009 at her home in California. Tisha 'Roberts' lived most of her life here in Sierra Vista and she was born at RWBAH on Fort Huachuca on 11 May 1970 to her parents Bill and Sandy Roberts. She attended Bella Vista Elementary, Sierra Vista Middle School and Buena High School. She graduated from Buena in 1988. Tisha was a member of the Buena softball team for four years where she pitched and played first base. In her senior year she was the Buena starting pitcher that threw a record breaking 13 innings against Sunnyside High School and threw the entire game for Buena. Tisha loved to pitch and wanted to be the best at it, so she put in hours throwing to her mom and dad, who were the coaches of the Sierra Vista Hot Peppers, outside of school practices. She often was the girl throwing in bad weather, holiday weekends and when the other kids were going to the dances, she asked to go to the ball park to practice. She learned to throw an array of pitches including a fast ball, curve, rise, drop, drop curve and two different change ups. These were pitches that helped make her a highly sought after recruit. Her dad always said that she had been one of his best defensive pitchers because her defensive handling of the ball added an extra defensive player on the infield for the team. When not pitching she also played third and first base. She could also handle hitting in the top of the order because she was one of the power hitters on the team. Tisha was calm under the pressure of tourney play, the tougher the team she played against the more determined she was. When she first began thinking of pitching, it was at the tender age of 2 1/2 as the bat girl for the Hot Peppers when her mom played. Her pitching idol was Pepper pitcher Nancy Brown. When she went into serious travel ball, she dreamed of pitching in the Olympics like Olympian pitcher Lisa Fernandez. She was the complete package as a coaches player. She was hard working, dedicated, coachable and a 'team player' ready to 'sacrifice' for the betterment of her team. Tisha played against some of the best pitchers in travel ball in youth and in women's softball. Some of her accomplishments were: 1. When 12 years old helped her team win the ASA state tourney and then attended the first held ASA 12 and under Nationals with her team in Kansas. 2. Numerous times she pitched against a friendly rival and now a member of the Az Softball Hall of Fame-Pitcher Susie Parra (4 year member of the UofA) 3. Played college softball on a scholarship. 4. Traveled as a bat girl with the Peppers to Canada. 5. Played in her high school softball program 4 years. 6. Played in 5 ASA Nationals 7. Helped her team place in 3d, 5th and 1st. 8. She was selected to several all tourney teams in women's tourneys, including MVP pitcher and player in ASA National Qualifier in Nevada. 9. She was selected first team All American Pitcher in three National tourneys 10. She helped her team win the 1992 ASA Women's National tourney in Memphis, Tennessee. 11. She later coached JV softball at Buena High School 12. She played and coached and was instrumental in the Hot Pepper organization where she was a pitcher, and coach. After 1993 ASA Women's Nationals in Phoenix conclusion, she hung up her cletes and and married Alan Oldham. She has three wonderful sons-Keelund, Chandler and Billy to whom she has devoted her life. The family moved several times with her job before settling down in the mountains in northern California. Tisha love the climate and loved being in the snow and rain with her kids. Her work schedule was brutal and fate moved in in the form of illness and changed the life of the accomplished athlete, mother, wife, daughter and friend. Tisha's amazing accomplishments as an athlete will live on in the loving memories she gave her family and friends and through the many years of play with her team the Sierra Vista Hot Peppers. A remembrance memorial service for Tisha Noelle Roberts-Oldham is scheduled here in Sierra Vista on Weds, October 21 at 4300 Golden Acres Drive, Thunder Mountain Community Church, off Hwy 92, Sierra Vista, Az 85635 at 2 pm, for friends and family here

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 would like to take this opportunity to thank the city of Sierra Vista and museum curator-Nancy Krieski for their hard work and recognition of the Hot Pepper organization during the current Baseball Exhibit and early history of Cochise County at the museum.  The open house was held on April 16, 2008- where a complete program with speakers from the area spoke about the early history of Baseball here in our area.   We learned about the equavalence of semi pro baseball clubs that field many of the baseball college athletes in the summers-where the athletes are not paid for their play, but where they gain exposure to be seen by many of the college scouts, and pro scouts.  The Bisbee Copper Kings play out of Warren ball park over near Bisbee-it is one of the oldest baseball stadiums in the country and they are trying to make it a historic landmark as well.  There are many teams, uniforms, and history of many now professional athletes who first made appearances on teams such as these before turning professional.  Also on exhibit in the museum are several photos, memoriabillia including the ASA National Champion trophy of the 92 ASA National Champs-Sierra Vista Hot Peppers, along with the Hall of Fame plaque given to the Coaches Bill and Sandy Roberts in 2007.  There are many notable softball alumni past and currently in college play represented in photos.  We -Bill and I were also honored with the cutting of the ribbon with many of the honorees prior to the opening of the exhibit.  Thank you Sierra Vista and the many folks who were present to see the displays. The exhibit will be open through the month of August-call to check on the hours.

A few photos from the banquet at the Embassy Suites North in Phoenix on Aug 18.