Jaden Lopez understands the importance and value of hard work.
Growing up in Stratford — a small, rural Kings County town with a population of under 1,000 people — Lopez saw firsthand how her community built a life by working in the fields.
It wasn’t easy work, but it was all they knew.
“There is pretty much nothing there,” Lopez said. “A lot of kids, they come from small, hard-working, farm-laboring families. Just being able to wake up every day and see all these families waking up at 4 a.m. and not get back until 6 p.m., not having enough time and money to put their kids in sports because they need to put food on the table, that has just been very inspiring to me because my parents are able to give me that time, and that extra time they have given me to contribute to my sport, to play, I’ve been very inspired by my community to make sure I take every single opportunity.”
That molded Lopez’s strong work ethic.
“Just being around a lot of hard workers and seeing what it takes, it’s helped me,” Lopez said. “Because not everyone gets a fair chance, so that’s why when you get your chance, you have to make sure you work hard at it and give it 110% every chance you get.”
That attitude has transformed Lopez into one of Tulare County’s premier high school softball players.
Today, Lopez and Redwood are on the brink of Central Section glory.
The four-time East Yosemite League champion and No. 3 Rangers (24-7) will play top-ranked Garces Memorial (25-5) on May 29 for the 2026 Central Section Division II championship at Fresno State’s Margie Wright Diamond. Game time is 7 p.m.
Lopez, a senior third baseman, has been stellar behind Redwood’s phenomenal run this season, clubbing .404 with 17 runs, 38 hits, a team-high 35 RBIs, 10 doubles, and six home runs.
Her six round-trippers also lead the team.
“Jaden, she’s fun to watch,” Redwood head coach Stevi Johnson said. “She’s fun to watch in the cages. She’s fun to watch in the infield. For her, the power and strength that she brings, having her hitting as our fourth hitter, our clean-up hitter, to drive in those runs, she’s done exactly that. You kind of see Jaden come up, and as you watch her swing improve, she really does swing, not purposely, she really does swing for the fences because she has such an aggressive, violent swing. It’s almost like every time she comes up, you kind of think, ‘It could be another home run.’ That’s her. There’s a possibility the ball could leave the yard.”
That was the case in Redwood’s 5-1 semifinal win at No. 2 Kingsburg on May 22.
In that victory, Lopez launched her sixth home run of the season to finish with two hits, three RBIs, and a run. That performance helped the Rangers avenge a 1-0 loss to Kingsburg in March.
“Seeing that ball go over the fence is honestly just a highlight of all the hard work that I’ve put in,” Lopez said. “With every hit, obviously, when it does go over, and even when it doesn’t, I’m just so grateful that I’m able to have the time to put in the work.”
With Lopez excelling at the plate, the Rangers are averaging 6.6 runs per game this year.
Redwood rolls into the championship showdown on an eight-game winning streak and has won 19 of their past 20 contests.
Lopez, the 2025 East Yosemite League Most Valuable Player, has been the backbone of that success.
Lopez is one of three Rangers, along with senior Kenzie Cantu and sophomore Rayah Rodriguez, who are hitting .400 or better.
Cantu, a first baseman, leads the squad with a .479 batting average. Rodriguez is hitting .411.
Collectively, the Rangers are batting .356 with 45 doubles, 13 triples, and 16 home runs.
“It’s just incredible,” Lopez said. “Just being able to come out here and do what we do and love what we do, I feel like that plays a big part in it. I feel like every single one of these girls, they love each other and have each other’s backs.”
Cantu agreed.
“This is actually one of the strongest teams I’ve been a part of,” Cantu said. “All of our bonds throughout everyone, all of our friendships, our connections throughout everyone, it’s special this year.”
Lopez transferred to Redwood and moved to Visalia after spending her freshman year in Lemoore.
As of May 26, Lopez has totaled 150 hits at the varsity level. She had 30 hits as a Lemoore freshman. In her first season with Redwood in 2024, she blasted 38 hits, followed by a career-best 44 hits the following spring. As a senior, Lopez has pounded 38 hits.
Lopez has 15 career home runs.
“That’s my big dog,” Cantu said of Lopez. “She picks me up whenever I’m down. She’s able to be that inspiration on the field whenever someone needs it, and she’s definitely a big play in our game.”
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Small-town roots inspires Redwood softball’s Jaden Lopez
Reporting by Vongni Yang, Visalia Times-Delta / Visalia Times-Delta
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
