`LITTLE' BIG HITTER; GRACE BRETHREN'S LISA ESTILL A HOME-RUN THREAT.

Byline: Heather Gripp Daily News Staff Writer

No matter how many times one is told that looks can be deceiving, it's still easy to be surprised by Lisa Estill.

Chaminade coach Steve Herrington, who will coach Estill in Monday's Bernie Milligan Daily News All-Star Softball Game at Cal State Northridge, was the latest to be fooled by the Grace Brethren senior.

On Tuesday, Herrington said he knew nothing about Estill ``other than she hit a lot of home runs.'' After Wednesday's practice, it was hard for the coach to stop raving about the girl he didn't even recognize as being a player when she arrived at the field.

``We were at practice and this sweet little girl walks up and I was like, `Can I help you?' '' Herrington said. ``She asked where the bathroom was and said she needed to change. Then she told me she was Lisa Estill. I turned to one of the other players that was standing there and said, `This is the girl that hit 16 home runs?'

``She's a petite little thing with a huge heart. She's the nicest sweetest, politest girl you'll ever meet. She's definitely not what I envisioned for someone who hit 16 home runs.

``But I was surprised. Once she puts on her shorts and cleats, she's an aggressive little ballplayer.''

In addition to hitting a Southern Section-record 16 home runs this season, Estill set section records (for all divisions) with 77 RBI and 59 runs scored. She also batted .784, with 14 doubles and four triples, walked 10 times and didn't strike out all season.

``I know it really doesn't look like it from her numbers, but she's really not a power hitter,'' Grace Brethren coach Janeen Skinner said. ``It's more her speed. She hit the gaps a lot and she's pretty fast around the bases.''

Estill is also known as a solid defensive shortstop and filled in as the Lancers No. 2 pitcher, earning a 6-0 record.

``She's got a great arm and great range,'' Skinner said. ``I like to tease her about her defense, but she's great.''

As impressive as Estill's stats are, there have been questions about how the player from a Division VI school will hold up against powerful players from higher divisions.

``It's a different game at this high of level,'' Herrington said. ``She told me she was a little concerned because it's so much different than Division VI. But she got used to it quick. I told her `You're adjusting well.' She did very well, she held her own.''

Skinner was also confident in her star player.

``Lisa has a lot of talent and desire,'' Skinner said. ``She'll compete just fine against them. It might be different if she hadn't played with them before, but she knows a lot of them from Moorpark. I don't really think she's intimidated by them. She's got no fear.''

Estill, who transferred from Moorpark for her senior year, says the adjustment is easier because she played with some of her fellow all-stars when she was with the Musketeers.

``Two of the people from my old team (Meghan Finnerty and Erin Heinbechner) are going to be playing, so that'll be cool to play with them one last time.

``It's going to be fun playing against some of the people from the bigger schools.

``I don't know if it's necessarily about proving anything.''