Standing in the chalk-outlined circle, junior Megan Sabbatini knows she has the attention of everyone surrounding her. She is the epicenter of the field and is consumed with pressure.
As the No. 1 starting pitcher for the Balers, Sabbatini wouldn’t be anywhere else.
“Being out there, pitching here, the whole show is on you,” she said. “It’s a great feeling to know everyone relies on you and that you’re the main part of the game.”
And in her third year as a member of the San Benito varsity squad — she made her varsity debut in the final five games of her freshman year — Sabbatini has made the leap to a dominating pitcher and one of the best arms in the Central Coast Section.
“Where she goes, we go,” head coach Scott Smith said. “We’ve never had a pitcher like her here in Hollister. She is an impact pitcher for us. I think she is the best pitcher in CCS. Without Megan it would be tough for us.”
So far this year she has proved that. Starting eight of the Balers’ nine games, Sabbatini has averaged more than eight strikeouts per game. No team has scored more than three runs and the Balers have started the season 9-0 as they try to capture a seventh-straight CCS champion.
“She has a lot of velocity and movement on all her pitches,” Smith said. “When she is good, we will win.”
That wasn’t always the case for Sabbatini, who started pitching during her first year on the softball diamond 10 years ago. She always had great stuff, but her confidence always wavered when she got into trouble. Not this year.
During the first game of the Wilcox Mission City Invitational against Santa Clara, Sabbatini was dominant, striking out eight batters. But she walked seven, and Santa Clara scored three runs — equaling the most runs scored against the Balers all year long.
“She was struggling, but she was still unhittable,” Smith said. “That’s how good she can be.”
Smith, though, is the one person who can get the most out of his star pitcher, Sabbatini said. During the past three years, when Sabbatini joined the Balers team and Smith’s travel ball San Jose Sting, Smith has constantly tried to give Sabbatini more confidence.
His confidence in her has never wavered, though.
“She is the best pitcher we’ve ever had at Hollister,” he said.
That belief drives Sabbatini to be a better pitcher, she said.
“It makes you have more confidence in yourself,” she said. “I have a lot more confidence when he says that and knowing that he believes in you. You’re the main priority. In the tournament, I kind of struggled. And he just said, ‘Megan you’re better than this and you need to pick it up because we need you the next game.’ He asked me if I could pitch another game and he asked if I was ready. And I was.”
Only one more run was scored off the Balers the rest of the weekend.
Overall, San Benito has four shutouts and has allowed one run three times.
For Sabbatini, that success comes from her coach and teammates’ confidence and relaxing while in the circle, she said. But most important, she believes in herself.
“When things aren’t going my way, when I’m pitching he (Smith) just reminds me: ‘Self-belief Megan,’” Sabbatini said. “You’ve got to build your neck and just have a lot of confidence, and that’s what’s helped me the most.”
With that confidence, Sabbatini has also taken steps to become a leader of the team. And with a 9-0 record, it’s worked for the Balers.
“I know how much pressure there is and how much it takes — just coming up and seeing what are Scott’s expectations and stuff,” she said. “This year I’m a lot more calm and I have to help the younger girls and freshmen. It’s like, the girls look up to me and Brittani Newman as leaders. We’ve been through this for a couple of years. We know how to play the game because we did as freshman.”
And her work ethic carries over to her young teammates, Smith said.
“She is one of team’s hardest workers,” Smith said. “I told her that she needed to take on this role, and she has. I gave all the captains a black shirt before the season that says ‘try and out work us and it’s going to hurt.’ She does everything she can to get better and be a leader.”
He continued, “She is a great teammate.”
Because of that, Sabbatini expects the Balers to continue getting better.
“Each girl wants to improve and get better for themselves and to improve the team,” she said. “Next year, we are going to have the same team so we are going to be a lot stronger next year. From the beginning of this year to now, we’ve made such a big improvement.
