Player to instructor. 

Assistant coach to head coach.

While titles and responsibilities have changed for new head softball coach Alia Marquez, one thing remains the same. 

Her emphasis on culture. 

“If the culture is right, everything else follows,” Marquez said. “I try to foster a positive and safe environment for my players and consistently remind them that softball at the end of the day is just a game, and their performance does not define who they are as individuals.”

After the previous head coach stepped down, following an application and interview in June 2025, Marquez said she received an email from Sunny Hills athletic director Paul Jones informing her that she had been promoted to head coach later that same month.

“I was super excited and hopeful that I would get it when the position opened up,” Marquez said. “I love softball, and I wanted to be able to share my knowledge with young girls who want to go through the same experience.”

STEPPING INTO THE FIELD 

Throughout her experience with softball, she said she played as the center fielder. 

“I liked being able to command and see the whole field,” she said. “It’s a position where you kind of take charge, and I think that fits my personality as a player.”

Marquez said she started softball when she was 5 years old. Her mother, who played softball in high school, played a big role in encouraging her to begin the sport. 

“I stuck with softball because I fell in love with it really quickly,” she said. “I loved the team aspect, the energy and honestly just competing, and it felt like something I was meant to do.”

Since then, she said the sport just clicked for her because she loved its fast-paced and focused nature. 

“There’s a mental side to it, too, that I really connected with,” Marquez said. “Once I got serious about it, there really wasn’t anything else I wanted to do.”

The new head coach said many of her childhood memories are tied to being at the field, filled with activities such as practices, tournaments and long weekends.

“It wasn’t just something I did, it was a huge part of who I was,” she said. “It taught me a lot early on about discipline and competition, and just being part of something bigger than myself.”

She said playing softball taught her how to deal with adversity.

“Things like failure, cancerous teammates, bad coaches and poor sportsmanship from other teams all played a part in who I’ve become,” she said. “It’s translated into work for me, a bad boss and rude co-workers.”

ENTERING COMPETITION

While softball remained a hobby until the end of middle school, Marquez said she began taking the sport more seriously and playing competitively, entering Fullerton High School, and also played travel softball at American Pastime. 

“[High school was] where I really started growing as a leader and understanding how important team culture is,” Marquez said. “It wasn’t just about playing anymore; it was about contributing to something bigger: learning how to deal with teammates and coaches that I didn’t necessarily get along with.”

She said she dealt with bullying on her high school team. 

“I didn’t have any teammates that had my back, and the coach avoided a lot of confrontation, and basically allowed the bullying,” she said. “Through this, I learned resilience, and that the only thing I have control over is myself, my attitude and my actions.”

In 2020, Marquez said she began to consider playing softball in college, got in contact with coaches and went to camps. Going into her senior year, she decided that she wanted to stay local. 

She was recruited to play at Orange Coast College out of high school, but Marquez said she decided to transfer to Long Beach City College [LBCC] in 2022, amid the pandemic. 

“It was during the COVID years, so we were playing softball with gloves on, and using Lysol to spray the balls,” she said. “It just wasn’t the best experience, and the coach didn’t handle a lot of other things on the management side.”

After playing at LBCC from 2022 to 2023, she then transferred to Whittier College in 2024, where she studied kinesiology and exercise science. 

“LBCC is a community college, so the highest degree I could get there is an associate’s degree, and I had already received my associate’s degree, so I wanted to go get my bachelor’s,” she said. “So I transferred to Whittier College because it was the option that was closest to home.

“The transition from each school was fairly smooth, and going into LBCC, I think I fit in super well and built good relationships with my coaches and teammates. Transferring to Whittier College was smooth in terms of academics, but a little rocky on the athletics side of it, as trying to fit into the culture that the softball program had wasn’t the easiest.” 

She said that going from high school sports to college sports was an adjustment, as the speed of the game and the expectations were elevated.

“It challenged me mentally and made me more resilient,” she said. “College softball is where I truly learned to love the game of softball because I had coaches who truly believed in me, and it was a major confidence boost.”

COACH THE CULTURE

Marquez said that while playing college softball, she coached youth travel softball. From 2021 to present, she said she coached for elite travel softball organizations such as Athletics Mercado, Firecrackers, USA Athletics and Wolfpack.

“Coaching travel ball is insanely more competitive than high school softball; I would say our biggest accomplishment was placing first in a tournament back in November,” she said. 

Although she’s been coaching for around six years, she said this is her second year in a high school environment. She said she was interested in coaching high school softball once she finished her playing career. 

“I liked the structure that came with being an athlete, and I knew that if I started coaching at the high school level, I would be able to maintain the structure,” she said. “I also liked the idea of representing something bigger than the game, and coaching at the high school, I’m able to represent the school with my team.

“I’ve loved every minute of it; I like sharing my knowledge, experiences and being a mentor to young athletes that want to either play at the next level or not, how to get through life through athletics.”

She said her love for being a mentor came from coach Meghan Martinez, the head coach at LBCC. 

“I find myself implementing a lot of the things that she did for both myself as a player and our team, as a whole, with my girls now,” she said. “I learned to be honest because she’s extremely honest, and I think as a player, I would much appreciate my coach being 100% honest and direct with me rather than trying to sugarcoat things.”

Co-captain senior Arianna Holguin said Marquez is very honest in coaching.  

“I feel like she’s more honest with some people than others, because she knows that we can handle it,” Holguin said. “She definitely carries with that, and it just to make us better.”

Marquez said she was hired as an assistant coach last year at Sunny Hills after attending numerous games, and then the head coach, Rod Engel, reached out to her asking if she was willing to be his assistant coach in 2024. 

Marquez said her transition from assistant coach to head coach was fairly smooth, as she helped out with Engel’s responsibilities. 

“I sort of had a taste of what it would be like; however, there is a lot more work behind the scenes that no one sees, and doing all of that work gave me a new appreciation for all head coaches here on campus,” she said. “I don’t get advice from the previous head coach, but I do lean on other coaches from different programs here on campus.”

Now, as a head coach, she said that part of her coaching philosophy is culture, but reflecting on the previous season, she said the program needed more structure and consistency. 

“The biggest thing was culture, and I set clear expectations and really emphasized accountability and what it means to represent the program,” she said. “I also focused on communication and making practices more competitive and intentional.”

Catcher and utility player junior Saraya Jhawar said the new head coach is selfless and considerate. 

“Individually, she’s really helping me with my hitting and with my mechanics, and helped me work through my shoulder injury,” Jhawar said. “As a team, she really just works super hard to get us as we can, and she understands that people have other things than softball.” 

SISTERS LEADING THE FIELD

She said one reason for her determination to be a head coach was her younger sister, senior Elayna Marquez. She said she thought it would be good to build and create a culture of her own, and saw being a head coach as an opportunity to add to it and be a part of something great.

“Throughout Elayna’s career, I’ve been coaching her teams and sharing my knowledge with her, as well as her teammates,” Alia Marquez said. “This kind of inspired me to continue to coach in my own way.”

With senior Elayna Marquez as the co-captain of the softball team, the head coach said her sister made her job as a coach much easier because she knows exactly what she expects out of the team, and is able to lead the team in that direction.

“There are a lot of moments that stand out, from big games to just everyday practices,” the head coach said. “It definitely adds an emotional layer because I care about her in a different way, but it’s also made me really intentional as a coach.”

As a co-captain, Elayna Marquez said she is in full support of her sister’s coaching.

“We all have to be on the same page together, so whatever she commands, I agree,” she said. “I’m always making sure we are agreeing with her so everything flows smoothly.”

Elayna Marquez said that because she and her sister are both leaders of the team, she learns a lot from her older sister.

“Her stepping up as the head coach has taught me that I need to learn how to control my emotions and how to put that to the side and think about my actions that can help my teammates,” Elayna Marquez said. 

Alia Marquez said in terms of coaching, she focuses on accountability and relationships. 

“I hold my players to a high standard — on the field, in the classroom, and on campus — but I also want them to know I care about them as people,” the new head coach said. 

KEEP PUSHING FORWARDS

As a new head coach, Alia Marquez said her goal is to establish herself as a coach.

“I want to build good relationships with the other coaches on campus, and then establish the program as a whole, building something that’s positive, safe and fun for the girls,” she said.

Infielder junior Jacquelyn Kim said her experience with the new head coach has been positive so far. 

“She thinks it seriously but also keeps it fun, and I think she’ll help me improve as a player because she pushes us a lot,” Kim said. “Also, she’s always making sure that we’re cheering in the dugout and staying vocal in the field.” 

So far, the new head coach said she’s been focusing on building a team community.

“I think it’s really important for the girls to respect each other and have each other’s backs,” she said. 

The head coach said her goals are to make it to the playoffs. 

“Working on consistency and winning our next few games will determine whether we make the playoffs, and that is what our focus has shifted to,” she said. “We have the talent to do so, so we just need to work on our consistency, and everyone needs to buy in, and we’ll be alright.”

Alia Marquez said she is working on her PE credentials because she enjoys the high school environment and the culture at Sunny Hills. In the end, she said she hopes to build and establish a program that lasts.

“I expect us to compete, stay disciplined and keep building our culture,” she said. “The wins will come from that.”