EYE OF THE TIGER LITTLEROCK PITCHER'S FOCUS STEADY AFTER BATTLING ADVERSITY.Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer Nickie Perez is a softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' pitching standout who isn't easily fazed faze tr.v. fazed, faz·ing, faz·es To disrupt the composure of; disconcert. See Synonyms at embarrass. [Middle English fesen, to drive away, frighten . Considering her senior project involves feeding 500-pound tigers at Rosamond's Exotic Feline feline of, or pertaining to, members of the family Felidae. See also cat. feline agranulocytosis see feline panleukopenia (below). feline actinic dermatitis see solar dermatitis. Breeding Compound, that's probably a good thing. ``It's kind of scary, because you risk your life every day going in there,'' she said. ``They could look like a nice kitty, but those cats can turn on you in a second. ``Their paws are so huge.'' An aspiring biological sciences major, Perez, a Littlerock High senior, is on track to become the program's first Division I scholarship player. After her breakout 2004 season, anything seems possible. Perez came out of nowhere last year to win the Golden League MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. and lead the Lobos to their first softball playoff appearance. She threw a no- hitter for the Antelope Valley's District 51 All-Star team in a 10-0 rout of Utah last summer in Big League Softball's Western Regional championship. Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley advanced to the organization's World Series in Kalamazoo, Mich. Perez's pitching repertoire includes a riser, a curveball and a changeup change·up n. Baseball A pitch intended to look like a fastball, which actually approaches the plate at a slow speed, thereby causing the batter to swing prematurely. [Alteration of change-of-pace.] . She throws in the upper 50 mph range, considered above average by high school standards, with pinpoint control, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Littlerock coach Sarah Adams. She's also a major offensive contributor, batting .458 last season. To hear coaches and teammates tell it, what stands out most is her ability to excel in adverse conditions. ``That's the amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. thing about her,'' Adams said. ``You see pitchers get discouraged when something bad happens in a game all the time, but she's one of those kids where, if anything goes wrong, whether it be in life or on the field, she just digs right in and goes right after it.'' Said Littlerock catcher Christin Carrillo: ``She's just very focused. She doesn't let anybody get to her. When the other teams are yelling and cheering, she doesn't let it get to her. She's just focused on what she needs to do.'' Perez learned to keep focus after a series of injuries dating to middle school kept her off the area softball radar. She suffered a knee injury playing soccer in eighth grade at Almondale Middle School of Littlerock and has needed years to fully recover. She suffered a broken right (pitching) hand that derailed her sophomore year. Unlike last season, opponents - left scratching their heads, wondering where Perez came from - this year will have an idea of what's coming. After negotiating with mammoth felines on weekends at the EFBC EFBC Exotic Feline Breeding Compound , it's hard to imagine anything in softball that might rattle Perez. ``Softball is my relief from everyday stress,'' she said. ``When I'm on that mound, I feel more comfortable than any place ever.'' Gideon Rubin (818)713-3607 gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Nickie Perez had a breakout season in 2004, leading Littlerock to its first playoff berth and winning Golden League MVP honors. Gideon Rubin/Daily News |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion