The number “1” has been quite the tally for TechBoston Softball Coach Amy Narvaez. In year one of her head coaching career, she led her Bears squad through the season with just one regular-season loss. As an up-and-coming assistant coach just three years ago, the team finished had only one win.

The turnaround has been remarkable.

Narvaez, 43, took the reins this spring and cobbled together a team of athletes– many of whom were new to softball – and guided them to a 16-1 regular season record, including a win over powerhouse English High School and a berth in the Division 5 state tournament. The run also earned her the title of Boston Public Schools (BPS) softball ‘Coach of the Year.’

“Three years ago, we won only one game; this year we lost only one regular season game,” said Narvaez in an interview this week. “It felt great when they voted me ‘Coach of the Year.’ I did not expect it, being my first year as a head coach…But this was a historic season for the school, especially for such a young team. It’s not like most of the girls have been playing all their lives. Most started right here at the high school.”

The school’s athletic director, Courtney Leonard, said TechBoston is “beaming with pride” over the team’s success in going to the City League semi-finals, winning a division championship, and earning a spot in the state competition.

“If that’s not ‘Girl Power’ and Coach of the Year material I don’t know what it is,” she said. “Coach Amy is beyond deserving of this recognition and she is not only a reflection of the commitment and care that coaching should be about, but also equally representative of the selflessness and support of student-athletes beyond the mound that it takes to sustain and be successful in city school sports.”

Narvaez’s team was usually made up of 10 players, anchored by junior star pitcher and captain Ketchmyr Louis, who recorded 141 strikeouts this season. Sophomore catcher Dianny Felix Roman was the other captain, but beyond them, many were good athletes whom Narvaez recruited to the diamond. What she was able to build was an environment wherein the girls built a “sisterhood.”

“In general, female sports don’t get a lot of recognition across the board,” she said. “Even basketball, our girls went to the city finals, but you didn’t hear a lot about them. The softball team didn’t get a lot of recognition until the end. It’s the way it is, but it’s very important to keep these girls active and create a sisterhood. That keeps them together and not against each other…We had such a great season and no conflicts at all amongst each other.”

Junior pitcher and captain Ketchmyr Louis anchored the surprising squad of athletes this year, recording 141 strikeouts during the season.

Narvaez, like most of her players, started softball as a student, in her case at West Roxbury High School, from which she graduated in 1997. While softball was part of the island culture in Puerto Rico where she spent her younger years, she mostly just watched her town team compete. At Westie High, she fell in love with playing the game as an outfielder and participating in the JROTC Navy program.

The latter experience launched her career in the US Navy, which sent her to Hampton, VA, and San Diego over six years in the service. After having kids, she said she felt she was robbing them of having a stable location to grow up in , so instead of pursuing a Naval career, she returned to Boston.

“After the Navy, it just felt right to come back to Boston,” she said. “My mom worked for BPS and told me to give it a try until I knew my next step. I’ve been here for 18 years now, starting as a secretary and now I’m a dean.”

Coaching was also always in her sights, after being mentored and hired by the late Keith Love of TechBoston – whose name is affixed to the field where the softball team plays. When an opportunity opened after the pandemic to rebuild the TechBoston team, Narvaez – an assistant coach at the time – hit the phones and recruited as many girls as she could to form a team. That was the year when they only won a single game.
“We wanted girls to get out of the house and get active. We did have fun; there was no pressure,” she said.

This year an all-female coaching staff led by Narvaez, assistant coach Nina Laboy, and assistants Shellina Semexant and Aysha Williams really caught a break with a group of girls who came ready to play. Narvaez said she trusted her captains and motivated every player to give their all.

“I was a little nervous to be honest when I became head coach,” she said. “I didn’t know what it would all look like but after a week of practice you can see them come together…We didn’t have to fight hard to get them to pick it up. The first game they were ready. They wanted to get better.”

A turning point came when they had to face English High School of the tough City League North Division. While they had blazed an undefeated trail through the South Division, they knew it wouldn’t be a cakewalk with English. “They made plays, the bats were happy, and the pitching was on point,” she said of the big win.

The team later took their first loss to English in the last regular-season game but won a bid to the Division 5 State Tournament, losing in the opening round to Mohawk Trail. However, the excitement has continued with a successful all-star game last week, and big plans for next season in the making.

“We’re going to get started in March and the girls are already planning for next season,” she noted.

The 2023 TechBoston High School softball squad in a team photo this month.