Elena Fata has the raw talent to succeed at Division I level,
coach says
She can hit and she can lay the leather in the field, which is
why San Benito High School sophomore Elena Fata was recently named
to the prestigious All-State Underclassman Second Team for
softball.
Elena Fata has the raw talent to succeed at Division I level, coach says
She can hit and she can lay the leather in the field, which is why San Benito High School sophomore Elena Fata was recently named to the prestigious All-State Underclassman Second Team for softball.
“I don’t know how to even put all of her attributes to words,” San Benito High coach Scott Smith said. “She is rock solid, has leadership and really understands the game. I made references all the time that she plays like a guy and told her she’d better not go out for baseball. We need her here. That’s how good she is.”
In addition to the outstanding pitching the Balers received this year from freshman sensation Marisa Ibarra, Smith doesn’t hesitate to point out the other major part of the puzzle was the vital role Fata played, which led to the Baler’s first-ever Central Coast Section title.
“She almost looked bored out there sometimes. And then when the game was on the line, she’d step up and deliver,” Smith said of Fata, who had a knack for getting game-winning hits. “And her defense was so good that we would literally call pitches that would get the hitters to hit towards her.”
That direction was towards the shortstop – the position Fata mastered this season despite starting the year out at third.
Smith quickly moved her from the hot corner to short in the fourth inning of an early contest against Notre Dame. Smith remembers that his team was getting clobbered by the eventual league champions and needed to find a way to stop the bleeding.
The solution was to shift Fata to the middle of the infield. What resulted was a 20-1 run and a CCS title.
“She wanted to play third but it’s hard to get balls hit to third,” Smith said. “We needed her near the middle. We had such a good infield but I wouldn’t mind if all the balls went to Elena. She never made a single throwing error the whole year.”
In all, Fata led her team with 90 assists this year to lead her team. In the batter’s box she was equally impressive, leading her team in hits, multi-hit games and doubles while batting in the leadoff slot. And despite struggling at the plate early on, Fata still finished the season with a whopping .409 batting average and was .383 in league.
Yet despite all this, she was still surprised to learn that she had made All-State honors.
“It was pretty cool. I wasn’t expecting it actually,” said Fata, who was the only local high school player to make the squad.
Fata, who also plays volleyball and basketball, first started playing softball when she was 7. During the summer months she plays on the San Jose Extreme’s 18 and under gold travel team that competes in tournaments all over the state and as far away as Las Vegas.
For the Extreme she plays both shortstop and at second base. She competes not only because she enjoys the game but also to further hone her skills, and to get noticed by some of the top NCAA Division I schools, which often have scouts in attendance at the games.
“I definitely want to play in college,” the 16-year-old said. “The team I’m on right now is helping a lot with that.”
Smith believes that Fata does have Division I level skills, but believes that she may need to learn to bat left-handed to really get noticed.
“She’s got a lot of speed and is a tough out,” Smith said. “I think if we can bat her left-handed next year and get her speed to first base down from 3 seconds to 2.9 or 2.8 as a slapper (singles hitter) DI schools will definitely be looking at her.”
Before she can adorn the uniform of a top college team she must first finish up her high school career, which still includes two more seasons. And Fata knows that those seasons won’t be easy since everyone will be looking to oust the reigning section champs.
“We should be pretty good,” she said. “I think we’ll be just as good or better then this year’s team.”
It’s players like Fata that make Smith want to coach forever.
“If I ever thought of hanging it up, she’s the kind of kid that makes me want to keep coming back. She’s a blast to coach. I enjoy just watching her play. It’s real fun.”
