All signs point to Vermont for Banga

A wayward dime and a white butterfly proved to be all the inspiration Alexa Banga needed.

The 17-year-old Virden product, who has been a stalwart member of Westman Magic teams for the past six years, committed to play softball with the Vermont State University Castleton last month.

But the journey that transformed a pitcher into a fearless catcher at age nine all began with two unusual signs.

The five-foot-six, right-throwing, right-hitting Banga began in the sport in 2013 at age five. Four years later, Alexa was playing with the Virden Gold Rush and her father Darin was coaching. The regular catcher was unavailable, so he persuaded his unhappy daughter to suit up.

“I did it and I pushed through,” Banga said. “I didn’t like it at first.”

But the universe told her different.

Her great-uncle Reg Banga, who had been a catcher for Team Canada, died back in 2011 when she was very young.

“My parents and grandparents and all my family have always told me he’s looking down on me and he would be so proud of me,” Banga said. “So, since I was nine, whenever I find a dime, that’s my sign that my uncle Reg is looking down on me and cheering for me from above. Or it’s a white butterfly, and this gives me a lot of courage. I still believe, and I truly will until the day I die.

“When I was done catching that game, I was not happy because I wanted to pitch. As I was packing up the team’s catching bag, I found a dime in the dirt and a white butterfly flew past our dugout … I was like, ‘That’s kind of cool.’ I picked up the dime, and I kept it with me. I still have it, it’s in my room.

“I showed grandma and she immediately started crying.”

With the regular catcher out for the rest of the summer, Banga took over the position and while she didn’t love it for a couple more years, she has never looked back.

SECOND STEP

Banga made the jump to the under-13 Westman Magic in her minor year. The catch was that she made the squad behind the plate, not as a pitcher.

“From then on, the rest is history,” Banga said. “I never stopped and I fell in love with it. I never wanted to do anything else, so if it wasn’t for my dad forcing me to catch, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Catching, like goaltending, isn’t a position for the faint of heart. While you’re in the middle of the play, it carries a lot of pressure and the regular delivery of something travelling at you at high speeds.

Banga said it simply makes sense with her extroverted personality.

“With catching, it’s kind of like a must,” Banga said. “You can’t be quiet, you can’t be shy. I feel like I’m the opposite. Being a leader just comes to me so naturally with everything, with softball, with school. I like having control, but being able to see everything on the field and knowing all that’s happening is really nice.

“And I kind of do control the game. I call my own games with the Magic and Bulldogs, Faron Asham taught me that, so I can thank him for that.

“It’s having that sense of comfort that, OK, I’m in every play, I know what’s going, I know what pitch is coming at me.”

Banga said it’s a position that requires a lot of hard work to play well but adds it’s very rewarding.

SETBACK

It can also be dangerous.

In the summer of 2023, as the Magic prepared to host U15 nationals, Banga had a moment of breathtakingly bad luck that she still carries with her.

Brandon’s Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex was hosting Softball Manitoba’s provincial U15 tournament as a tune-up for the Softball Canada event, and in the fourth inning of the Magic’s opening game, a Manitoba Angels batter hit a short popup. Banga charged out as her close friend, pitcher Presley Hodson of Lenore, raced in. Both dove for the ball, and in the resulting collision in front of the plate, Banga broke her leg and Hodson ended up with a concussion.

Both lay on the field for an extended period of time and were taken by ambulance to hospital as the two stunned, emotional teams watched from the dugouts. While Hodson was able to return for nationals, Banga was in a cast and watched the Magic from the dugout with a cast on her left leg.

While it’s obviously not a good memory, she has benefited from the experience.

“I definitely learned not to take things for granted,” Banga said. “When me and Presley got hurt, it showed me how much more softball means to me than I may have realized. Of course I knew before ‘I love this sport’ and I love playing, but after I realized that it was more than just a sport to me. It was like my life.

“Some of my closest friends I’ve made through softball. After I broke my leg and Presley got her concussion, almost all of the teams that were at provincials and nationals gave us cards all signed by every player on their teams, coaches, everyone.

“That proved that when something like that happens to a person that maybe you haven’t even talked to, it’s a community that all comes together. It’s just one big family in Manitoba.”

COMEBACK

She returned to the sport the next summer, but many athletes who have suffered a serious injury go through a period of questioning whether their body will hold up. Banga was no different.

When she began to catch again, her left leg wasn’t as strong, and it ached. She admits she was especially nervous in her first game.

“I don’t think I was ever hesitant except for when there was a popup in the exact same spot where Presley and I collided,” Banga said. “I always let first base take that one now. I’m still cautious on that one. I was just more aware of my injury.

“Every day when I went to practice, I was aware of it but I didn’t let it stop me from doing what I love and I pushed through it.

“It was really hard at times, both mentally and physically, and honestly, mentally it was harder.”

The mental battle was in part because she had to miss nationals, even though she was at every game. Even so, she was grateful she could be there.

Other than the year after she came back from her broken leg, she’s steadily grown as a hitter, also under the tutelage of the local softball guru Asham. He rebuilt her swing, and while the process was initially rocky, she quickly gained confidence and turned the corner.

“I’d say hitting is actually my strong suit for the most part,” Banga said. “I hit for power, and I love hitting. I go to the cages all the time and just hang out there.”

Banga, whose family also includes mother Nicky and brother Liam, attends Virden Collegiate Institute. With her devotion to softball, she doesn’t play any high school sports.

THIRD STEP

She began to think about playing collegiate softball around age 15 but didn’t pick until she was 16. She spoke to about 10 schools and made five campus visits.

Banga played softball with the TC Bulldogs this winter, a program Asham runs out of his Triple Crown Sports indoor facility in Brandon. The Bulldogs attended tournaments in Las Vegas from Oct. 24 to 26 and in Florida from Nov. 21 to 23, and continue to practise.

The Vegas event was also a showcase for college scouts, so when Banga and her mother were waiting to fly down, they decided to look at which schools would be represented.

“I was just kind of scrolling and saw Vermont,” Banga said. “That’s kind of cool. I’ve never been to Vermont and I’ve never heard much about Vermont.”

It was a four-year, Division 3 school, which is what she was looking for, and it also had the program she wanted to study, exercise science pre-physical therapy. When Banga looked at the roster, she thought she might be a good fit and emailed assistant coach Manuel (Manny) Travieso, who handles recruiting.

He quickly responded that he would be on hand in Vegas to watch her in action, and took in all five games she played. They also had a brief moment to chat and quickly hit it off.

Banga was struggling with her pop time, which measures the time it takes a catcher to get the ball to second from when the pitch hits the mitt, based on a combination of release time and arm strength.

Travieso came to the edge of the dugout when she was catching one game, and gave her a tip on how she was throwing the ball. It immediately shaved 0.2 seconds off, returning her to about 1.7 seconds.

The value of the instruction was twofold. It showed her he cared enough to help, and it showed him she would respond well to coaching.

After her fifth game, following team pictures, she saw him waiting and went over to chat with him.

When he asked her how she was doing, she admitted she was tired and that her arm was sore, and he liked the fact she had answered honestly.

They talked about the team philosophy on the care of players on and off the field, and he told her about head coach Eric Kraut. Then he asked if she would come to the school for a visit.

She asked Asham about it when she got home and he encouraged her to go, and a couple weeks later she spoke by phone to Kraut.

“We just immediately clicked,” Banga said. “He reminded me a lot of Faron, which was very comforting. He was just so kind to me and so welcoming and really funny too.”

The head coach immediately made her feel like a person instead of a number, and that she would have all the resources she needed to succeed.

CAMPUS VISIT

Banga and her mom hopped on another plane on Dec. 13 and visited Castleton, a town of 4,400 located 250 kilometres south of Montreal in west-central Vermont.

Banga was blown away by the beauty of the community.

“When I drove into Castleton, I almost teared up a little bit just because of how much it felt like home,” Banga said. “I hadn’t even stepped out of the car yet. It was like a home away from home.”

She was also impressed when someone told her the 14 school teams support each other by attending games, which made it feel even more like a tight-knit community. After looking around, she officially committed on Dec. 15.

“If you told me six months ago that I was moving over 30 hours away from my home, I probably would have laughed in your face,” Banga said. “Six months I did not want to move far away and was planning on going to North Dakota or South Dakota, somewhere decently close to home. Then this school year I’ve realized there is so much more than my home.

“I think if I didn’t go far away and have my own life and have my own experiences and make new friends and meet new people, I would regret it forever.

“Going to school in North Dakota, South Dakota, any of those, would be great, but going to school in Vermont, not many people do that, especially from Virden. I just think I’m so, so lucky.”

She added it would be impossible to imagine doing it without the lifetime support of her family. The other benefit of committing is that now she can sit back and worry about one less thing.

“It is an understatement to say I’m relieved,” Banga said. “There are no words to explain how relieved I am that it’s over. The recruiting is a special feeling.”

She intends to play with the under-19 Westman Magic provided they can find enough players, which would be her seventh year in the program.

The Vermont State Castleton softball team finished seventh in the nine-team Little East Conference last season with a record of 6-10 in conference play but 17-15 overall. The 2026 spring season begins on March 7.

Banga has already connected with a future teammate from New York who is also part of the recruiting class, so she’ll have one friend when she arrives. Many, many more are sure to follow.

“I honestly can’t wait to graduate and move to Vermont and start my life in Vermont,” Banga said. “I’m so excited.

“… I truly, truly cannot wait to start this next chapter of my life. The next four years in Vermont, I truly think they’ll be the best four years of my life.”

» pbergson@brandonsun.com