As a first-year starter on Cal State Fullerton’s softball team, Alexia Lopez excelled at the plate last year, batting .357 and driving in 29 runs. One goal eluded her, though.
“I was hitting well, but I didn’t have any home runs. Coming into this season, I just wanted one so badly,” said Lopez, a senior catcher who is undersized for the position at 5-foot-5.
She broke though in February, smashing a go-head, two-run homer in an 8-5 win against Rutgers at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City. But Lopez didn’t stop there. She has slugged seven more home runs, tying for the lead among Fullerton hitters. In fact, she ranks among the team leaders in most offensive categories.
“Ever since she hit that first home run, it’s almost like the dam broke. They are all coming out now,” said Titans Head Coach Gina Oaks Garcia, whose team leads the Big West.
Lopez’s most valuable contribution to the team, however, might be her work behind the plate. She calls pitches — unusual for a collegiate catcher — and has played errorless ball with 26 assists. Lopez, who is called Lex by family and friends, has guided the Titans’ three top pitchers to a combined 2.88 ERA.
“Some opposing coaches have remarked, ‘You’re letting your catcher call the game.’ I told them that catchers have the best seat in the house. They know what spins are coming and can evaluate the breaks,” said Oaks Garcia. “Lex studies all the scouting reports. The pitchers know that and trust her.”
Read more on the Titans Athletics website.