High School Hammer
Type 1: Cate Reese is a dual-sport star even with diabetes
Thomas Bingham
Nov 6, 2017, 12:00 pm
Dual Action: Cate Reese excels on both the volleyball and basketball courts. Vype
Originally appeared on Vype.com.
Cate Reese has long been a two- sport athlete, so she knows how to juggle multiple tasks.
It started in junior high when she added volleyball to her resume. The other sport was basketball, which she’s been playing since the age of seven. Her diverse set of skills were very attractive to college programs across the nation, but she ultimately decided on Arizona basketball before her senior year.
“You have to stay focused,” Reese said. “Keep your priorities straight on what you need to do with practice and homework and sleep.”
Her discipline is not only important for athletic success, but her personal health as well. That’s come into light since she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2016.
“You have to stay on top of it,” Reese said. “You always have to check your blood sugar and make sure you’re good before and during a game.”
She doesn’t let the condition slow her down and sets an example for her peers and fans that also live with it.
“It’s kind of helped me become the leader that I am,” she added. “It’s also motivation for other kids out there, who are younger than me with an obstacle like this. They can still do what they want to do.”
That’s one of the reasons why her high school coaches are thankful she chose both sports.
“Cate continually strives to push herself to be better than she was the day before,” Cy Woods assistant principal and former basketball coach Virginia Flores said. “Ask any coach and they’ll tell you Cate has a motor. She goes and goes and goes, and is relentless in her pursuit of greatness.”
That personal push not only helped the basketball team win the state title in 2015, but also extended volleyball’s playoff run to eight appearances in its first 10 years.
“She is a big force for us,” Cy Woods volleyball coach Ashley Ahlfinger said. “She has grown so much as a volleyball player, even though it is not her main sport.”
Her 6-foot-2 height is helpful for both sports, and she has chosen the more physical path to college ball.
“I’m confident in the choice that I made,” she said. “And I’m happy that I chose Arizona.”
She chose the Wildcats over Texas Tech, SMU, TCU, Washington, Colorado, Rice, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma because she believes she can help the team immediately.
This article appeared in the October Issue of VYPE Magazine. Pick up your copy today!
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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