Five players make first team, three named to second team
They won league and they won the Central Coast Section title,
which is why it’s no wonder that several players on the San Benito
High softball team were named to the Tri-County Athletic League’s
prestigious All-League squad.
Five players make first team, three named to second team
They won league and they won the Central Coast Section title, which is why it’s no wonder that several players on the San Benito High softball team were named to the Tri-County Athletic League’s prestigious All-League squad.
In all, five Balers made the league’s First Team list and three others were named to the Second Team squad.
Topping the list was Baler pitcher Marissa Ibarra, who was named the league’s most outstanding pitcher for 2007.
“Her poise out on the mound kept the whole team relaxed,” San Benito High softball coach Scott Smith said of his star hurler. “You just give her the ball and she does what she needs to do. She is a selfless ballplayer too, she doesn’t count up the strikeouts. She pitched to get ground balls because the strength of our team was the defense.”
She may not have focused on her own stats but it would be tough to ignore what Ibarra meant to the championship team this year. In addition to posting a record of 32-2, she had an overall ERA of .72 and a league ERA that was probably the lowest in history at .025.
And if that wasn’t impressive enough, Ibarra tossed five no-hitters at the opposition and had 19 shutouts to boot.
“Not only that, she fielded her position well, too,” Smith said. “And helped us win a lot of games just with her fielding.”
While Ibarra learned that she had won the top-pitching award that the TCAL has to offer, her teammate, Elena Fata, found out last week that she was named the MVP of the league.
As the Balers starting shortstop Fata proved to be effective on both sides of the ball, batting .510 in league and posting a .970 fielding percentage. Batting in the number three spot, Fata also managed to post a .538 overall batting average. She also had a .825 slugging percentage and led the team in RBIs.
“She was the best No. 3 batter that I ever saw,” Smith said. “She was a huge clutch hitter for us to the point that if we had one out and a runner on first, I’d bunt the batter over to second and take the second out just to see Elena get up in that situation. It was truly amazing. She was also the centerpiece of our defense.”
Another Baler player with serious pop in her bat was sophomore second baseman J.C. Clayton. Clayton made the list not only for her prowess at second base but also for her uncanny ability to get on base from the leadoff spot in the lineup.
“She was the premier leadoff hitter in all of CCS,” Smith said. “Her on-base percentage was .800 and she had 32 stolen bases (which would jump-start the Balers run production).”
The left-handed standout hitter wound up batting .610 in league and .575 overall – despite being a natural right-handed hitter.
“I only batted her right handed twice – she got a single and a homerun,” Smith said.
Smith opted to make the switch at the start of the season because of her explosive speed down the line.
“It was amazing all of the things she did this year,” Smith said. “She had 12 multi-steal games and she started the season with a hitting streak of 13-for-13. Her defense was phenomenal too, and she had great range.”
Another player to make the First Team list was junior third baseman Lizzy Gatto. Gatto also impressed all of the coaches in league who nominate the awards winners for her balanced play as well.
Gatto batted cleanup in the lineup where she posted a .470 batting average in league play and put up an overall average of .486. She also drove in the first run in the section title game over Carlmont that led to the Balers second CCS title in a row.
She had 14 stolen bases this season.
“She was our right fielder last year and I asked her to play third this year for us,” Smith said. “She accepted her new role and wound up playing her position real well. She was real solid. She also was very tough out in the lineup.’
The last Baler to make the prestigious All-League First Team squad was also the only senior in the lineup to do so. Audra Brown made the list for her solid play at first base this season.
Like Gatto, she moved to the infield after playing in the outfield the previous season. During the season Brown batted .300 in league and .350 overall.
“She was a real tough out because she wouldn’t strike out much,” Smith said.
In addition to the First Team squad, three Baler players were named to the All-League Second Team list. They were: Senior catcher Ashley Perriera, junior centerfielder Rachel Maheu and junior designated hitter Lindsey Clay.
