State champion Oate softball player clings to life following rollover

A former Oñate softball player and state champion is in a coma after she was involved in a rollover accident on Thursday while driving near Socorro along Interstate 25, her sister confirmed.

“I just hope that she just makes it out – that she’s still here with us.” said Vanessa Gonzalez, the older sister of Sierra Gonzalez. “That’s all that matters.”

Vanessa Gonzalez was in Roswell at her daughter’s volleyball tournament when she got the call that her younger sister was air-lifted to Albuquerque because of her injuries.

“I’m praying every single day and letting everybody know, ‘Please pray for her,’ because she’s a fighter and i know she’ll make it,” Gonzalez said.

Sierra Gonzalez was a Las Cruces Mayor’s Top Teen in 2015.

“She means the world to me,” said Krystal Vaca, who has known Gonzalez since the sixth grade and played softball with her.

“I hope that she wakes up here soon and we can start the long road to recovery, so she can get better,” Vaca said.

“It just broke me,” said Christina Gutierrez, who also played softball with Gonzalez. “I feel glad that she’s showing progress, I’m glad that her numbers are low, and i just hope that she makes it. I just know she’s very strong.”

Oñate High School held a vigil for Gonzalez on Sunday.

“I just know that everyone around her and everyone that’s in her life will be there for her in that road to recovery,” Vanessa Gonzalez said.