In a little more than a week, Savannah Vargas will leave her classmates at Rosemont Upper School in Dallas to go to Tokyo, Japan.
"Um, I'm going to play for Team Mexico in Tokyo, Japan," Savannah Vargas said shyly.
In August, when she was just 12 years old, Samantha Vargas tried out for Team Mexico's U-15 (under 15) Team and made it.
"To be honest, I don't really think we thought I was gonna make it. We were just trying to see what the competition looked like over there in California," Samantha Vargas said. "I was really proud of myself! That was when I realized that I was actually good."
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Savannah Vargas turned 13 years old in the two months since being selected for Team Mexico. She will play in the Women's Softball U-15 World Cup tournament in Tokyo, Japan.
"Early on I knew, hey, we might have something here if we just invest in her and just see where it goes," Vargas' father, Hilario Vargas, said. "And here we are!"
Hilario Vargas grew up playing baseball and said he dreamed of having a son who would follow in his footsteps.
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"But in this situation, God blessed me with a girl," Hilario Vargas said, smiling.
Savannah Vargas started in soccer but switched to a bat and ball. First, it was t-ball, then baseball, and now softball.
"I have a really, really strong arm," Savannah Vargas said softly.
"As you can tell, Savannah is very calm and shy," her mom, Samantha Sapelalut, said. "But when she's on the field, she's a different person."
"I'm loud," Savannah Vargas said. "On the softball field, I can actually, like, be myself. So, like, it brings out the best side of me."
Savannah Vargas plays both catcher and 3rd base.
"I think this is the proudest I've every seen them," Savannah Vargas said of her parents. "I hope I can inspire other girls that you can really do it. You can do anything if you just put your mind to it."
Mexico plays Peru in the first game of the tournament on October 21.
