There never was any doubt who should be in the circle for the San Benito softball team’s final out of the 2012 season. One out away from winning a seventh-straight Central Coast Section Division I title, the final out was always supposed to be Megan Sabbatini’s.
But in the title game against Carlmont, something unexpected happened. The San Benito starter, who had 12 shutouts and hadn’t allowed a run in more than two games, struggled. But that didn’t change head coach Scott Smith’s mind. Sabbatini was going to get the final out of another championship.
After leaving the game in the fifth inning, Sabbatini entered to get the final out. It took her one pitch.
Without Sabbatini the Balers championship streak would have ended, Smith said after the 8-3 championship game win over Carlmont.
Sabbatini was Balers ace in the circle throughout the year. She was named the Tri-County Athletic Pitcher of the Year, and she was the Balers’ most important piece of their championship puzzle.
For her dominant year inside the circle, Sabbatini was unanimously chosen as the Free Lance/Pinnacle’s Outstanding Female Athlete of the Spring.
It was a challenging but memorable year, Sabbatini said.
“We just started off with a whole new group of girls,” she said. “The most challenging thing was just figuring out the girls’ strengths and weaknesses and putting two freshmen in our starting lineup. The hardest thing for me was taking on the leadership role.”
With the team void of any senior starters, Sabbatini, paired with junior Brittani Newman, led by example for the Balers.
“We really made sure the girls knew Scott’s expectations for the team,” she said. “He told us to take them under our wing, not only on the field but during school and make sure they are making the right decisions and keeping their grades up and stuff. There was a lot of communication with everyone so they can look up to us.”
But it was her play in the circle that made the biggest impact. Sabbatini started the year with two shutouts, and finished by allowing only two runs in 16 playoff innings.
The Balers rode her throughout the year.
“Where she goes, we go,” Smith said earlier this year. In the end, she took them as far as they could go.
It was the first time Sabbatini was the main pitcher for San Benito. Last year, she shared time with Paige Miguel.
“It made me want to work harder and earn my spot on the team and stuff,” she said. “This year, I had to work a lot with myself and Scott had to help me with practice. I started a little shaky and he started pushing me a little more.”
As the season went on, Sabbatini started to miss her spots as her arm tired with the work load. To build her strength, Sabbatini started to throw more at practice, she said.
“I just had to work harder and stuff,” she said. “It was nice to pitch a lot more this year.”
As Sabbatini started to pitch more during practice, San Benito went on a roll, winning the season’s final five games.
“At the end of the year, we started working well as a team,” she said. “We started communication on the field and stuff.”
With all of her success, her confidence sits at an all- time high before the Balers bid for an eighth-straight CCS title begins next spring.
“I just need to work hard and believe in myself and have a lot of confidence,” she said. “Scott reminded me all the time to have confidence and self-belief and that really helps. The game is all mental for me and I just need to carry that into next year and hopefully have the same success.”
