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PITCHING FOR FAMILIA: Erick Calderon’s Journey to Hastings
FRIEND GROUP — ON THE BASEBALL DIAMOND.
The Hastings senior pitcher enters his final season with three years of varsity experience and is woven deeply into the fabric of the Bears’ program.
Born in Cuba, having lived in Mexico, and then moving to the United States during elementary school, Calderon’s journey has been defined by resilience, adaptation, and belief.
“Erick is a delight to be around,” head coach Andres Torres said. “He’s like an assistant coach on the field and in the dugout. He’s a motivator, a cheerleader — just a great teammate.”
Calderon didn’t discover baseball until his freshman year of high school, a late start by most standards.
“I was in football, and it just wasn’t for me,” Calderon said. “I would stay after practice and watch the baseball team. I talked to my football coach, and he encouraged me to give baseball a try. That switch changed my life.”
Since then, Calderon has worked tirelessly to develop on the mound, making significant strides in both velocity and command.
“When I’m pitching, I mind — it’s just me and my catcher,” he sa s on the next pitch. I have a goldfish mentality. “I forget what happened a pitch ago and lock into what’s happening now. That’s my strength.”
Through every transition and challenge, one constant has remained — his mother, Elisa.
“She’s my everything,” Calderon said. “It’s just been me and her from the beginning. Adapting to American life hasn’t always been easy, but we work through it together. We lean on each other.”
He leans just as heavily on his teammates.
“My team is my family,” he said. “When I’m going through something, they’re there for me. I can tell them anything. Coach Torres is more than a coach — he’s a huge influence in my life. He might not even know how much.”
So when Calderon toes the rubber this season, he’s pitching for more than wins or statistics.
He’s throwing for his family, his teammates, and the journey that brought him here — for his familia.
SUPER SONIC: Tempo and Fearlessness Power Vi-Ura for Hastings Track & Field
LEESI VI-URA IS NEARING THE FINAL STRETCH OF HER SENIOR YEAR AS ONE OF THE MOST VERSATILE SPRINTERS IN DISTRICT 20-6A, AND HASTINGS WILL UNDOUBTEDLY LOOK TO HER AS A FRONT-RUNNER. A STANDOUT IN BOTH INDIVIDUAL EVENTS AND RELAYS, VI-URA HAS CONSISTENTLY MADE HER PRESENCE FELT IN HIGH-STAKES COMPETITION, AND THIS SPRING PROMISES TO BE NO DIFFERENT.
Last season, Vi-Ura finished third in the 200-meter dash at the 20-6A Meet with a time of 25.28 seconds, advancing to the Area Meet while also contributing as a key leg on the Lady Bears’ relay team. Though not a personal best, her performance highlighted her knack for resilience — a quality that has become a hallmark of her high school career.
“Track is my first and only sport,” Vi-Ura said. “It all began the summer before 8th grade, when my brother encouraged me to get involved in athletics. So, I started practicing and enjoyed the training. Once I took everything seriously, it just clicked, and I ended up winning the district in middle school.”
Her brother, Golden Vi-Ura, who competed in football and track at Hastings before graduating in 2017, remains a significant influence.
“He was always my biggest supporter,” Leesi said. “He’d go to my track meets if he was able, pay for my AAU training and events, and continue to give me advice on the technique of my races. But above everything else, he taught me to never give up in the end, which has helped me push through a lot and trust myself when I compete.”
Varsity track comes with its challenges, she noted. “It doesn’t take much to weigh yourself down, mentally, when you’re going against a bunch of other people. You can’t do your best when fear or nervousness gets in the way, so that’s something that can make this sport challenging,” she said.
Still, the highs of the sport outweigh the struggles.
“The support that my teammates and I give each other makes it all worth it,” she said. “Also, there’s usually a rush you get from winning or setting a new PR that is hard to beat.”
Off the track, Vi-Ura balances a part-time job at Sonic with downtime spent watching shows like Martin or horror movies such as I Know What You Did Last Summer. Beyond high school, she hopes to continue running in college while pursuing a degree in dental hygiene or psychology.
Combining speed, grit, and a bold approach to competition, Vi-Ura enters her senior season ready to leave her own mark on Hastings’ program and set the tone for the team’s future.