Coach, teacher, student, advocate, defender, and player — just a few of the words to describe Ruby Rojas.

Individually, any one of the above could be considered a full-time job. For Mt. San Antonio softball coach Ruby Rojas, it’s just another day, one of the many hats she wears week to week.

“It can get pretty crazy busy sometimes,” Rojas said prior to a fall practice. “Obviously time management is an important aspect of it. But I think if you believe in what you are doing and you are passionate about what you doing, you don’t really look at it as things you have to do but rather things you want to do.”

That passion is strong, regardless of what hat Rojas is wearing at any given particular time.

The Coach

As a coach, Rojas has been nothing short of exceptional since taking over the Mounties program in 2013. In her first season, she went undefeated in conference play. Overall, in five seasons, she has recorded a 191-41 record — a .823 winning percentage.

In 2017, Mt. San Antonio went 42-5, which earned Rojas both the South Coast Conference Softball Coach of the Year, as well as the South Coast Conference All-Sports Coach of the Year. Her 2017 squad advanced to the Super Regional Finals.

“I believe that I am a teacher first, and that fits in with coaching,” Rojas said. “Coaching is teaching and teaching is coaching. Whether on the field or in the classroom, you are always looking to get the most out of your students.”

The Student & The Teacher

Rojas would know something about teaching, too. She is a full-time professor of Kinesiology at Mt. San Antonio. As a student, she earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in sports management. She is currently completing her Ph.D. in sports management.

“I’m having a lot of fun coaching right now but I eventually want to move into administration, perhaps become an athletic director," she said. "Earning a master’s and a doctorate is all part of that process, but I would have probably done it anyways. I love the academic world and believe you should always be learning.”

Rojas wears the role of teacher outside of Mt. San Antonio classrooms. In the offseason, she is a sought-after instructor at coaching clinics around the world. A native of Venezuela and bilingual, she is in high demand as a clinic instructor and speaker in South America and the Caribbean.

“Summers can get pretty hectic,” Rojas said. “I get a lot of calls to participate in coaching clinics both stateside and internationally.”

The Advocate

As if being a coach, student, and teacher was not enough to stay busy, Rojas is also a leading advocate and defender of softball.   

A few years back, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted to drop several sports from the Olympic program, including softball and baseball. The International Softball Federation named Rojas as one of its Softball Ambassadors to fight for reinstatement — a role she took to heart.

“I owe everything I am to the game of softball,” Rojas said. “Even the thought of dropping softball from the Games would have been devastating. Fortunately, both softball and baseball are rapidly growing sports in the Far East and the success of softball at the Beijing Games may have helped save the sport.”

That advocacy is why she rarely turns down opportunities to appear at clinics. 

“It’s not too dramatic to say the game made me the person I am today,” Rojas said. “It has given me everything that I have, so I also feel a responsibility to always try to give back, whether is coaching at a kids clinic and speaking to a group of international coaches.”

The Player

Until recently, Rojas was still a player. The former University of Virginia star was a part of the Venezuelan national team since 1999. 

“Ever since it became an Olympic sport, I wanted to play in the Games,” she said. “We were a bunch of young kids and we tried but failed to qualify in 2000 and 2004 but failed. In 2008, we qualified and the dream became a reality. It was an incredible journey for all of us. We started as 14- and 15-year-old kids with a dream and although it took a decade that dream became a reality.”

Rojas says that Olympic experience is something she will never forget. 

“It really hit home the first time I walked around the Olympic Village,” she noted. “Seeing the greatest athletes in the world like Kobe, LeBron, and the Williams sisters in one place made you realize how big of a deal it was. Walking in the Opening Ceremonies was an experience I will never forget.”

Rojas remained a part of the Venezuelan National Team for more than 15 years before stepping off the field in 2013.

Rojas’ love for the game is deep-seated. Her father was a noted fast pitch player and her native country passionate about baseball and softball. As a child, she remembered playing the game despite a lack of equipment.  

“We would take a rock and wrap socks around it and that would be our ball. Broom handles or any stick became our bats,” Rojas said. “But it didn’t matter, we just wanted to play the game and we would play every chance we could.”

As for the future, Rojas says she is not necessarily looking to move from the junior college level but wouldn’t rule it totally out either. 

“I love my job, I love teaching, and I love our players,” she said.  “Coaching at the DI level is a different animal. Not sure I would want to give everything else up to do that job. But who knows what the future holds for anyone?”

Written by Dan Pearson