Four decades after leading Rio to four consecutive league titles in softball, physical education teacher Shawna Virga was recently inducted into the Raiders Hall of Fame.  

Virga was a four-year starter, leading the team from the mound and also playing shortstop and outfield. “I pitched every game my freshman year even in the playoffs,” she said.

The team was Sac-Joaquin Section runner up in 1980 (Division I) and 1981(Division II), her junior and senior years.  

Virga was first team All City for four years, team MVP and Optimist All Star.

She still credits her teammates for their success. 

“My team was an amazing group of ladies that did whatever they needed to do to help the team win,” she said. 

In her senior year she turned down a scholarship to USF to follow her head coach, Tim Kiernan, to Sacramento City College. She continued to rack up all star honors, and for two years held the state record for stolen bases. 

“I then received a scholarship to CSU Northridge where we won the College World Series National Championship,” she said.

She turned down an opportunity to play professionally in Australia in order to pursue her teaching credential at Sacramento State, during which she did her student teaching at Rio.

“It was my dream to return to Rio and teach,” she said. “I have taught at Arden and Rio for a combined 20 years. Rio is and will always be my happy place!”

Virga was among 14 individual athletes, two coaches, and one team to be inducted at the April 29 ceremony in the Performing Arts Center.

“It is an honor to be recognized by the HOF committee,” she said. “Rio has such a rich history of amazing athletes. I’m grateful to be inducted alongside them.”