Linda Garza, Fresno City College’s new softball coach, is returning to Fresno after coaching at the University of Nevada, Reno.

She said when the opportunity of coaching softball at FCC came along, she knew it was time for a change.

“I don’t know if it will ever be open again, and if I want a chance to come back home. This is the chance to come back home,” Garza said.

Transitioning from coaching at a university to a community college is challenging, but Graza believes she more than prepared for the role.

When Garza graduated from Hoover High School, she wanted to get out of Fresno. She went to live in Ohio and Arkansas, but never forgot where she came from.

“No matter how far you go, and what you do, there’s just something about the Valley for some of us, that it’s home and you want to go back,” Garza said.

With more than half of the players on the team returning this year, Garza is happy to have that foundation that most new coaches wouldn’t get. But she also knows that since most of her players are graduating this semester, next year’s team may not be as seasoned.

She hopes to not only get her players to where they want to be as athletes, but also to to learn different skill sets that will help them in life in general.

Like any other coach, Garza wants to win as a team, but knows that winning it isn’t always the important outcome.

“I’m not going to lose sight that at the end of the day, I am an educator,” Garza said. “I don’t have a job unless I have student athletes.”

Throughout her journey as a coach and in her education, Garza was able to have support from her family. At the press conference where her position was announced, most of the support was from her friends and family.

Although Garza knows her family may not be perfect, they are still her backbone and what keeps her together.

“My parents have put me in positions to be successful, and I’ve taken advantage of all of those opportunities,” Garza said.