Forever Pirates -- Kellie Newcombe
This week's installment of our Forever Pirates feature is courtesy of OCC alumnus Kellie Newcombe, who was a member of the Coast softball team from 1988-90.
I came to Orange Coast College in 1988 after graduating from Newport Harbor High School (NHHS). College wasn't a big focus of mine ... I didn't even take the SATs or apply anywhere else. Most of my family went to OCC and since some of my best friends were going there, I figured, "why not?" I didn't have any real goals, no aspirations of graduating OCC or going to a four-year school. What really kept me in school at OCC and beyond was softball.
I played at NHHS, but never thought I could play in college after my coach told me as such. Yet for some reason, when OCC's softball tryouts rolled around, I got the nerve to show up. So, there I was out on the field with all these players who were leaps and bounds better than I was. NHHS wasn't a big softball school -- they were amazing at other sports -- but softball wasn't one of them. I loved it and loved being part of a team, but didn't have any strong skills except speed. Okay let me be honest, when I walked onto the OCC softball field I was brutal! No really, I didn't know where I was supposed to be half of the time and couldn't hit the ball. I remember there was small soft-spoken man leading the tryouts named Nick Trani. My high school coach was also a football coach and soft spoken he was not. Coach Trani seemed nice, even a bit shy with a little giggle. He was honest with me from Day 1 and said I needed to learn a lot, but that he couldn't teach speed and I had that so he'd give me a try.
There is no doubt that Orange Coast College and Coach Trani changed my life and set me on a path that shaped everything I would do from that first day out on the field to today. I learned so much from him. His type of lead-by-example and respect has stuck with me throughout my life. He was never demeaning, he was smart, technical and knew the game like no one I've ever known. He was fun and made me want to learn and work hard, which is how I try to coach my 7-year-old and her teammates.
My freshman year at OCC was a struggle for me and our team. When I say struggle, I mean we were last place in the conference and I hit a whopping .144 at year's end. I couldn't believe Coach Trani stuck with me when I barely got on base. Sure, I was fast, but I couldn't hit the pitchers at this level. We weren't horrible ... we competed, but we just didn't win games. Personally, it was so much harder than anything I had ever done and trying to balance college courses was a struggle. I didn't have great study habits nor did I care much about school. OCC was different though. The classes were interesting and I felt like I wanted to learn and knowing I had to do well to be on the team helped keep me motivated.
After the softball season was over, Coach Trani made sure we all worked hard over the offseason and helped me find a travel ball team for the first time. My teammates had become some of my best friends and we pushed each other.
My sophomore year at OCC was a completely different story and was amazing. Things clicked for me academically and for all of us players including Coach Trani. We had a core group of girls back who really liked each other, Cathy Scanlan, Wendy Robinson, Kim Thompson and me. The new freshman were ballers, Heather Smith and especially our pitcher, Kristin Heizer. Kristin was a game-changer for our team and she ended up breaking all sorts of records for OCC and the league. She gave us confidence and let us all shine. Cathy and Wendy's defense behind Kristin helped us win. I finally learned how to hit the ball and Nick making a slap hitter out of me was huge as I ended the season with a .385 average. We all had so much fun together. We ended up doing everything together ... parties (with the baseball team of course), classes, studying, parties. We laughed every day. We worked hard, but just loved playing together and loved winning even more.
We played in some really fun tournaments in which we won, including a standout in Palm Springs where the Angels were practicing. We went from last place in the conference to first place (or maybe second, but hey this is my story) and a fourth seed in state. Coach Trani was named Coach of the Year and five of us were named first-team, all-conference (Scanlan, Robinson, Smith, Heizer and me). Kristin ended up being name Orange Empire Conference's Pitcher of The Year and I was named Player of the Year and both of us made the All-State team with Cathy making the All-SoCal team. I'm not sharing all of that to remember the glory days (well maybe a little), but to share a huge life lesson I learned, which was to work hard and never give up. I could have bailed on softball after my first year at OCC, but Coach Trani and my teammates kept me going. I am 100% certain I would have never gone on to a four-year college and then on to get a Master's degree had it not been for OCC, Trani and softball.
I respected Coach Trani, but had a lot of fun with him and the team. Losing together taught me more than winning. Being part of something and being there for others was so important and built so much character and drive in me. Trani did all of that. I gave him a nickname he hated, The Weasel, because he knew every rule of the game and battled with the umps whenever it was needed. I still call him The Weasel 30 years later, I know he hates it but I think he loves it a little too. His stats and knowledge helped all of us with the above mentioned awards for sure. The Weasel really taught me so much ... not only how to play softball and how to slap hit (which took me a year to get down), but about life. He taught me about working hard, having fun, treating people with respect, never giving up, not taking life so seriously, yet being serious and always over prepared. He taught me about true friendship and I would have never be lifelong friends with Kristin Heizer or Brenda Velasquez or Tony Spaan (OCC Baseball) had it not been for him and OCC.
OCC's coaches and teachers play the biggest rolls in so many young people's lives. School was important to Coach Trani, we couldn't play without doing well in school he helped guide me to the right counselors and got me help when needed. He was great at knowing his players and advocating for us to be on a four-year college team. He wanted us to play at the next level, wanted us to experience more college, more importantly wanted us to grow as people. I know that came from the top of the Athletics Department and the college administration and I thank them all for that.
OCC made me fall in love learning and athletics even more. I was fortunate to receive a scholarship to play softball at UC Santa Barbara. OCC did that, it equipped me with all the tools I needed to compete on the field and in the classroom. I had such an amazing experience at UCSB and made lifelong friends, like I did at OCC. College does that to people, but being part of a team and an athletics program makes those relationships deeper and stronger.
I played two years at UCSB, including one with my OCC freshman year teammate Brenda Velasquez. After I graduated UCSB and enjoyed all Santa Barbara had to offer for a few years, I went on to get a Master's at USF. I worked in college athletics, then for a non-profit that worked with athletes and kids and have enjoyed a rewarding career in the non-profit sector.
Athletics truly changed my life for the better and I owe it all to my time at OCC and I will forever be proud to be a Pirate!
We are looking for more Pirate Athlete Alum to share their stories and memories of their time at OCC! Just email your story to Sports Information Director Tony Altobelli at aaltobelli@occ.cccd.edu. Please include any pics you'd like to share as well.
