Thomasina Garza could have been modest when the conversation turned to whether she ever considered putting together a Hall of Fame career as a softball player for the Texas Southern Tigers from 2012-2015.
The former standout at Sam Rayburn and Blinn College could have easily said she was playing in the moment or focused on stacking wins for the program.
But instead, Garza met the question of her Hall of Fame aspirations with boldness and confidence, much the way she played the game.
“Of course. What else are you playing for?” Garza says as she lets loose a big laugh inside a downtown coffee shop. “I knew when I transferred to TSU that I had goals in mind because when I was at Blinn, I was already an All-American and the National Defensive Player of the Year, all-region, all-conference. I already had a bunch of accolades coming out of Blinn, which was one of the top programs in the entire nation.
“So, I already had high standards coming into TSU about what I wanted to do for a program. And I knew TSU hadn’t had a winning program like they wanted and I wanted to come in and help build it out.”
Garza, a 5-foot-3 dynamo as a mid-infielder, did exactly that and then some during her three years starting for the Tigers. The Pasadena native finished as the most decorated softball player in TSU history while leading the Tigers to back-to-back SWAC Championships and NCAA Regional appearances.
Road to TSU Sports Hall of Fame
This past spring, TSU announced it had reinstated its Texas Southern University Sports Hall of Fame for the first time since 1996. The school selected 24 former student athletes, coaches and contributors for induction to the 2024 Class. The Defender will feature one of the inductees each month as we move toward the Homecoming induction week in October.
Here is the list of inductees:
| Dave Bethany Donovan Carl Campbell Sonja Dixon Clyde E. Duncan, Sr. Willie Ellison Dr. Dwalah Fisher Charlie Frazier Thomasina Garza Dr. Kevin Granger, Sr. John Harvey Karen Hawkins Ernie Holmes | Mike Holmes Dr. Jesse Hurst Chantel Jefferson Shonda Johnson Homer Jones Robert Moreland Dr. Roderick “Rod” Paige Donald Narcisse Darlene Hale-Stowers Michael Strahan Nerissa Redo James West |
|---|
As a result of her accomplishments, Garza is one of 24 former student-athletes being inducted into the Texas Southern Sports Hall of Fame this fall. She is the first TSU softball player inducted into the school’s Sports Hall of Fame.
“It’s everything,” Garza said of what it means to be inducted into her alma mater’s Sports Hall of Fame. “Being the first softball player to be inducted is meaningful. Being the first Hispanic is very meaningful. The fact that this program is just coming back again, that’s meaningful to hopefully establish why it’s needed and to continue. It’s truly an honor.”
It’s also an honor well-deserved.
Not only was Garza the most dominant softball player to star for TSU, putting up a .447 career batting average, coming through with 187 hits, 21 home runs, 55 doubles, and 162 RBI while also earning an NCAA Statistical Championship, she also influenced winning.
Along the way, Garza was also the SWAC Newcomer of the Year, two-time SWAC Player of the Year, and SWAC Hitter of the Year.
Worley Barker, who was the Texas Southern coach during Garza’s run, couldn’t be more proud to see one of his players making softball history.
“It’s special,” Barker said in a recent conversation with The Defender. “She is the first softball inductee into the Hall of Fame. She is definitely worthy. Thomasina had a great career at Texas Southern.
“It was special and an honor for me when I heard it was happening.”
It was also a special honor for Garza when she received the official news in March that she was going into the Hall of Fame. She was in a restaurant after a long day of work when the call came.
“I started jumping up and down and cheering and screaming in the middle of the restaurant,” said Garza, who now works as a project manager for Axiom Space. “It was very exciting.”
In her mind, it’s a perfect recognition for a special time in her life. She has fond memories of her time with the program and on TSU’s campus.
“It was a lot of fun,” Garza said. “Definitely different coming from Blinn because I was coming from a junior college to a university and understanding the program, and the structure.
“It was a transition for me, but it was very exciting. I liked the culture, I liked the comradery, I liked the campus environment. It was a lot of fun.”
Garza says TSU still holds a special place in her heart. She still supports the softball program is a regular at games, and has even been a mentor to some of the graduating players as they move on to careers outside of softball.
“TSU is always going to have a special place in my heart,” Garza said. “It’s home. It’s home. It really is special to me. It’s where I grew up, it’s a lot of memories, good, bad and ugly. That’s home.”
