NOTHING SOFT HERE MULTISPORT STANDOUT HERRERA WILL FOCUS ON HER FAVORITE IN COLLEGE.Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer VALENCIA - For most of her life, Ashley Herrera has dominated in tennis, soccer and any other sport thrown her way. ``We've got a garage filled with athletic equipment,'' she said. But 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' always has been her favorite. A four-year standout shortstop at Valencia High, Herrera will concentrate on softball in college at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX . But first she'll represent her school and community one last time at the 17th annual Daily News All-Star Softball Game at 3 p.m. Monday at Glendale Sports Complex. ``I think I like softball the most because I just love the environment,'' Herrera said. ``I also love the pressure situations.'' This has been quite a year for Herrera. She finished second in the Foothill League in girls' tennis in the fall, then helped the girls' soccer team to the Southern Section Div. II final during the winter. This spring, Herrera batted .356 with a region-best six home runs in 104 at-bats, 28 runs and 11 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in as Valencia won a school-record 27 games before falling in the second round of the Div. II playoffs. She also had a .921 fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player handles a batted or thrown ball properly. (nine errors in 110 chances), which is better than most high school softball shortstops and doesn't reflect the fact she gets to a lot of balls others don't because of her quickness. Herrera also hit six home runs as a junior, giving her 12 in two seasons. Despite a thin, lanky lank·y adj. lank·i·er, lank·i·est Tall, thin, and ungainly. See Synonyms at lean2. lank  i·ly adv. frame, she's perhaps the Foothill
League's most prodigious pro·di·gious adj. 1. Impressively great in size, force, or extent; enormous: a prodigious storm. 2. Extraordinary; marvelous: a prodigious talent. 3. all-time home run hitter - with the possible exception of former Canyon star Crystl Bustos, an Olympic medalist An Olympic medalist is the winner of a medal in one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal: gold, silver and bronze. Some countries, besides supporting all their Olympic athletes, pay sums of money and gifts to medal winners depending on the classes and number of . ``Ashley has matured a lot, as we all have,'' said teammate Jaisa Creps, whose been on the varsity with Herrera four years and will join her at UCLA next season. ``She has a better understanding of the game, and she's just (good) no matter what sport she's playing.'' Valencia coach Donna Lee Donna Lee is a bebop jazz standard itself based on the chord changes of the traditional jazz standard "(Back Home Again in) Indiana".[1] It is named after the now-obscure bassist Donna Lee. also will participate in Monday's game, along with Creps and Valencia teammates Natalie Mueggler, Danyale Peterson and Tori Rocco, plus Hart players Erica Duhart and Meaghan Flaherty. ``Ashley came in as a freshman and gave our team some spunk right away,'' Lee said. ``She's grown as a player through the years and has become a leader. She's just so athletic.'' A chance to play on the same team as Duhart is especially inviting for Herrera because the two are longtime long·time adj. Having existed or persisted for a long time: a longtime friend; a longtime resident of Detroit. longtime Adjective best friends despite attending rival high schools. ``Being with Erica is definitely going to be fun. She's my best friend, and we play on the same travel-ball team,'' Herrera said. Gerry Gittelson, (661) 257-5218 gerry.gittelson(at)dailynews.com AT A GLANCE What: 17th ANNUAL DAILY NEWS ALL-STAR SOFTBALL GAME Where: Glendale Sports Complex When: 3 p.m., Monday Coaches: Donna Lee and Suzanne Minet, West; Coy Ray and Carolyn Gunny, East Locals: Jaisa Creps, Valencia; Erica Duhart, Hart; Meaghan Flaherty, Hart; Ashley Herrera, Valencia; Natalie Mueggler, Valencia; Danyale Peterson, Valencia; Tori Rocco, Valencia. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Valencia's Ashley Herrera is well versed Versed® Midazolam Pharmacology A preoperative sedative in many sports, but softball is the one that got her to UCLA. David Crane/Staff Photographer Box: AT A GLANCE (see text) |
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