![]() ![]() ![]() They were a good match out there.”įellow sophomore Jamie Hom played a lot of shortstop for the Rams in 2012. Cristina and our second baseman Lauren Duff were both willing to dive and get dirty to make a play and stop a ball from getting to the outfield. “I was real excited to go behind the plate and catch,” Blando, who may take over for Menjivar in 2014, said. With Menjivar at short, freshman and would-be middle infielder Kaitlin Blando could bolster the team with a vacancy at catcher, and other players could play in roles more suited to their strengths. City College beat the Chabot College Gladiators at a softball match at Fairmont Park in Pacifica on April 16, 2013. “She was our best player, period,” McGuire said. The cordial head coach was straightforward about Menjivar. ![]() With her athletic ability, she proved she could handle it.” She became a left-handed shortstop, and that’s rare – against my better judgment. Routine plays for a ‘righty’ are not often there for a ‘lefty’,” assistant coach Scott Peradotto said. “Shortstop is traditionally a right-handed thrower’s position with the footwork and defensive maneuvers. I finally got the chance.”Ĭity College assistants initially took the conventional view, as well. I like to prove people wrong when they say a lefty can’t play shortstop. “When you’re left-handed, you always hear you can’t do it. “Growing up, Derek Jeter and Omar Vizquel were my favorite players,” Menjivar said. Menjivar came to City College as what is known as a “Division I bounce-back,” or someone who goes to a junior college after a year on a four-year college team. “There were girls just as talented if not better.” “They had 30 plus players, and it was hard to get playing time,” Menjivar said. Menjivar played first baseman and outfielder at Archbishop Mitty High School, and had the same roles at San Jose State University in limited time.īut her desire to play a position not natural for a left-handed thrower could not be matched on those teams. “When you do well on the field it transfers to your hitting and vice versa.” “I have so much fire in me knowing I get to play the position of my dreams,” Menjivar said. Menjivar referred to her defensive role at shortstop and the escalating effects of playing there. 979 slugging, it’s unbelievable.”Ī slugging percentage takes the total bases and divides them by official at-bats. “She put on some shows at batting practice, too. They caught a lot of balls playing back where a fence might have been,” McGuire said. “In a 200-foot fenced park, she could have probably 15 home runs. Outfielders would often back away an extra 40 feet to grab some deep shots off Menjivar’s bat, or keep the hits in front of them. The statistics show her capabilities in many ways, but the Rams home field without normal fences took even loftier numbers from Menjivar. She had more hits than all but two California players, and only struck out once the entire season.įor this and her 43 RBIs, seven home runs and all-around play on the field, Menjivar was named to the Coast Conference North Division First Team in its postseason awards. Menjivar not only led her team and conference but almost the entire state with a. “Nobody hit the ball like she hits the ball.” “Cristina Menjivar is the best softball player I have ever had at City College,” head coach Jack McGuire said. The placement of Cristina Menjivar at the critical position made it possible for other players to link around her to form a respectable season for the Rams (10-19 overall). Coaches must understand the characteristics of the players and forecast how the players will work as a unit.įor the City College softball team, the unique piece of the 2013 puzzle came in the form of a left-handed shortstop, a rarity on the diamond. To some degree, assembling a team in any sport is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. ![]()
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