Tiffany Labargan showed promise when she debuted for De La Salle University in UAAP Season 86.
Despite the Lady Batters managing only one win, optimism remains high for the new season.
After learning from her rookie year, the Bacolod-born infielder is determined to achieve greater success and give back to the school that welcomed her with open arms.
Labargan’s journey has been long and challenging.
She started her softball career in Bacolod before moving nearly 700 kilometers north to Dasmariñas.
It was there that coach Jasper Cabrera and the La Salle coaching staff recognized her potential and recruited her to join a team eager to overcome its recent struggles.
“Last year po siguro nangangapa pa, pero na-realize ko na hindi pwedeng hanggang do’n lang kami. Dapat may ma-contribute palagi sa team and makagawa ng magandang history po para sa La Salle,” said the 19-year-old infielder.
“Ang goal ko po talaga—at gusto rin po naming lahat—is makapag-podium po kami, para ma-give back rin po sa La Salle lahat ng gastos at suporta nila sa ‘min,” Labargan shared.
“Nagte-training po kami ng mas mabuti para at least maging maganda ang result namin this season.”
Her determination was evident in the Lady Batters’ strong first-round performance.
Despite a narrow 1-5 defeat against University of Santo Tomas in their season opener, the loss only fueled their resolve to regroup and push for a podium finish.
The Sports Management sophomore emphasized their commitment, saying, “In-ask po kami ng coaches namin if gusto ba talaga namin mag-podium. Kailangan po naming maghirap; hindi naman pwedeng hindi kami lalaban. Kasi may laban naman po talaga kami sa lahat.
“Na-realize po talaga namin na hindi po pwedeng hanggang do’n na lang kami, kasi alam po naming may i-aangat pa ‘yung team. Kaya po siguro ganito ang performance namin ngayon, kasi may goal po kaming gustong makamit.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
That mindset led La Salle to achieve its first back-to-back wins since Season 81, when they reached the Final Four but lost their twice-to-beat advantage—ironically, to the same UST team.
This time, the Lady Batters avenged that heartbreak, along with five more losses to the Softbelles since then, with a thrilling 6-5 victory on March 16.
Their momentum carried over as they dominated archrival Ateneo de Manila University with a 9-1 victory, where Labargan delivered a standout performance, going three-for-three and producing six RBIs.
“Ako po, personally, mas tumaas ‘yung morale ko nung nanalo kami sa UST kasi history rin po ‘yun eh, para rin po kaming nag-champion. So, ang kailangan lang po ay ituluy-tuloy lang po talaga,” she said.
Now, with a crucial matchup against University of the Philippines looming on Saturday, Labargan wants to remind her teammates of the mindset they had at the start of the season.
“Kami po talaga, ang nasa isip lang po namin is nothing to lose kami. Kailangan lang po naming mag-enjoy.”
