Orange County high school mourns softball star
Orange County students on Friday were grieving the death of softball standout Nadia Brianne Matthews, who, according to the county coroner’s office, committed suicide a day earlier.
The sophomore was a well-liked honor student at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana.
“Everybody’s shocked,” said Mater Dei softball Coach Doug Myers. “We’re just absolutely devastated.”
The 16-year-old hanged herself Thursday night. Police and fire officials were called to an apartment in the 2100 block of East Almont Avenue in Anaheim shortly before 8 p.m., Anaheim police Sgt. Rick Martinez said.
Paramedics administered CPR and took Nadia to UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange, where she was pronounced dead at 8:22 p.m., the coroner’s office said.
On Friday, the school called in extra counselors and was “doing everything possible to provide support to students as they grieve the loss of their friend and classmate,” Principal Frances Clare said in a statement.
The team mourned together at the school, then gathered at a player’s home to share memories about Nadia, Myers said.
The teen was considered the No. 1 softball pitching prospect in the nation for her age group and had verbally committed to attend the University of Arizona after she graduated in 2012.
“She was a warrior on the field,” said Barry Grumman, who coaches for a local club team.
“There are some who stand out and you notice immediately. She was one of those special talents. She had the physical size of someone older, and you can only imagine what she would have become as she grew up.
“She was only a kid.”
The softball community is “a very close, small community, and this hits all of us,” he added.
Coaches remembered Nadia as an impressive athlete and a respectful competitor.
“All of the girls know each other,” Orange Lutheran Coach Steve Miklos said. “She was a great kid, and our team is very sad.”
Fullerton Rosary Coach Nicola Huerta said that even though Nadia was a freshman last season, she played as though she were a senior. “She had a confidence about her,” Huerta said.
Nadia is survived by her mother, Nadia Martinez, her father, Diondre Price, and her 10-year-old sister, according to the Orange County Register.
