BIG LEAGUE DREAMS PALMDALE STANDOUT LEADS TEAM TRYING TO DEFEND TITLE.

Byline: GIDEON RUBIN Special to Daily News

PALMDALE - Rebecca Zapata is a prototypical standout softball catcher.

Zapata, a recent Palmdale High grad who plans to play for Antelope Valley College next year, hits for power and average. She has a powerful and accurate throwing arm and calls a smart game.

But she takes more pride in her leadership than she does in any of her physical tools.

``I try to take charge,'' she said. ``There's just more pride in knowing that you have older girls and younger girls on the team and they look up to you.''

The Antelope Valley's District 51 Regional Big League softball team will count heavily on Zapata's leadership as it enters a crucial juncture.

The Regional team begins the defense of its Big League World Series title today at 11 a.m. at Palmdale's Marie Kerr Park, where it plays Oregon in a Western Regional opener.

The five-team Western Regional plays a single round robin that concludes Tuesday. The teams with the two best records play a best-of-three championship series that will conclude Wednesday or Thursday. The winner advances to Kalamazoo, Mich., for the Aug. 14-19 World Series.

All games will be played at Field 7 at Marie Kerr Park.

The Antelope Valley qualified two teams for the Western Regionals. The younger District 51 Divisional team qualified for the tournament by winning its first Southern California title since 1999.

The Regional team has advanced to Kalamazoo seven times in the last 10 years.

The two District 51 teams meet Tuesday at 8 p.m.

Zapata is a third-year catcher for the Regional team.

``She's kind of been the rock of the team,'' said District 51 Regional team second baseman/pitcher Nicole Torres said. ``Without her, this team would be totally different.''

Zapata is among seven returnees.

She acknowledged that defending a World Series title comes with pressures her team is not accustomed to. She insists her team is ready to meet that challenge though.

``I guess you can say it's pressure knowing there's other teams waiting for us, but it's a good kind of pressure,'' Zapata said. ``I know we're ready to go there and take another championship home.

``We have a lot of confidence, and I think that's a definite advantage.''

Torres (Quartz Hill High) is among five District 51 Regional team players who were on AVC's first state qualifying team. Shortstop/first baseman Kelsie Blankenmeyer (Quartz Hill), pitcher Laura Calvert (Quartz Hill), first baseman/third baseman Brooke Stix (Quartz Hill) and left fielder Ashley Stevens (Lancaster) are the others.

Center fielder Alaina Devenney, right fielder Traci Wolf and catcher/outfielder Shannon Bailey played for Quartz Hill's recent Golden League championship team.

Other key players include third baseman Stephanie Parker (Highland), Kaylyn Kolesar (Paraclete) and pitcher Jessie Dunn (Antelope Valley), who plays for Dixie (Utah) State College.

Zapata's leadership is the X-factor that District 51 Regional manager Walt Patison believes gives his talent-rich team an edge.

``If a player is goofing off, you don't need a coach to talk to them, she'll take them aside,'' Patison said. ``She can kid around and yet she can still be firm.''

gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com

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(1 -- color) Palmdale Big League Softball catcher Rebecca Zapata, at Marie Kerr Park on Wednesday, plans to play for Antelope Valley College next year.

(2 -- color) - Rebecca Zapata