They came to Texas to play ball, but they almost didn't get to. As the Colorado Tigers stopped to eat last week near Greenspoint Mall, someone broke into their team bus, stealing their gear.
"It's been amazing and a blessing in disguise to teach these girls life lessons," Assistant Coach Bobby Matthews said.
Matthews is trying to use the theft as a teachable moment, pushing the high school girls to focus not on the loss of their stuff but on the generosity of perfect strangers.
Since we first broadcast their story Friday night, ABC13 viewers have donated new batting helmets, gloves, cleats, jerseys and other gear.
"The people of Houston are great," Matthews said. "Our girls learned that there are a lot of evil people in this world, but there are more great people, like the people of Texas."
So far, Matthews says there is no word from police on the stolen items. But these young ladies and their coach wanted to show that a little adversity would not keep them from hitting the field.
"This is what they love to do anyway, so they're going to make the best of it."
The players were here trying to impress college coaches on the field. The way they have handled themselves under difficult circumstances off of the field, though, is impressive as well.
Matthews said they didn't perform as well as they might have liked, but he said this weekend became about much more than just the final score. He said they would leave Houston on Sunday night with a positive impression of the generosity of folks in Houston.
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