Remembering Alia

The city of Pueblo is making sure a softball player?s legacy lives on.

Alia Carrillo, 14, died in April. Softball coach Gene Maio and Nick Pannunzio are making sure she?s never forgotten.

?People just flocked to her,? said her father, Pete Carrillo.

He described her as honorary, compassionate and a softball player. He said the thought of her being gone is still hard on him and his family.

?Please, just wake me up and get me out of this nightmare,? said Carrillo.

The nightmare began when Alia?s liver failed.

?She went into surgery and toxins spread so bad, she never came out of the surgery,? said Carrillo.

Just a few days before her death, she played her last game at South High School?s new softball field. Softball coach Gene Maio remembers watching her.

?I knew she was coming to South High School and she was working out, out here. I stayed and watched her. It was the first time I’d seen her play. When she was done, I walked up to her and said, ‘You look good at there kid. Keep it up.’ Four or five days after that is when she became ill and they took her out to Denver. That was the last thing I said to that kid,? said Maio.

Those were his last words to her, but they were certainly not the last thing he would do for Alia and her family.

?It’s a beautiful field and Alia is a beautiful name. The two just go together,? said Maio.

The Pueblo City School Board approved naming the field Alia. A plaque will be placed on top of the scoreboard.

?This is someplace we can come to and have our daughter right here in our hearts with us. It started the healing process for us,? said Carrillo.

Alia never had the chance to play for South High School, but her legacy will forever remain at South?s softball field.

Alia was the youngest of five, and all of her siblings played ball. She was even going to be on the same team as her older sister, who plays for South.

There will be a dedication ceremony, but a date has not been set.