Softball player commits to play for junior college
Sierra Griego has taken a pitch to continue her softball career at Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona. The Diamond Bar High School senior committed to play for the school on Nov. 1.
Yavapai College is affiliated with the NJCAA, the junior college athletics league. Griego will be majoring in Fire Science, while attending on a sports scholarship. Fire science is a program which prepares students for working as a firefighter.
Griego has played many different sports throughout her athletic career, however she stuck with softball because she enjoyed the team bonding.
“I started playing softball when I was 8, I played baseball before that since I was 4,” Griego said. “My favorite part about playing softball is I get to play the sport that I love with my teammates that always have my back.”
Since she was in sixth grade, Griego said she wanted to play softball in college.
“When I found out that you can get money to go play softball I knew that I was going to do that,” Griego said.
Griego plays with a travel ball team called SoCal Athletics McCarthy. In addition to playing on a club team, she has been a member of DBHS girls varsity softball since her freshman year.
She has received many awards in the sport, including the Bill Swift 100 Percent, an award that is only given to one person each season at DBHS. Griego was also named 1st Team All League at DBHS during her sophomore year.
“I was also ranked as one of the top PGF [Premier Girls Fastpitch] prospects for softball in the summer of 2018,” Griego said.
DBHS varsity softball coach Kurt Davies said that Sierra is one of the best players he has ever coached in his 30 years of experience.
“The thing that sets her apart is her ability to make it look so easy,” Davies said. “She plays centerfield for us and every time the ball is hit to the outfield, we think she’s going to run it down.”
She attributes her success in the sport to her passion. In addition, Griego emphasizes the importance of putting in effort at practice.
“Put in the extra reps, always give 110 perecent and when you are on that field, ball out because all of the work you do will pay off,” Griego said. “I always give 110 percent when I am playing no matter what.”
Since softball is a team sport, Griego had to learn to collaborate better with their teammates.
“I’m always looking to do what is best for the team,” Griego said. “If I think that I can maybe get to a ball I will try; I have speed and power so I try to use those to do the best that I can.”
Griego said that she has developed a strong love for softball throughout the years.
“I love softball and I think that it is the best sport because it is a team sport and you also have personal stats so you can see how you can get better,” Griego said. “But my favorite thing is that when I step on to the softball field everything outside the dirt doesn’t matter and I can just play.”
She said that she is excited to create new bonds with her college teammates.
“I have not met my new teammates in person yet but we all have group chat and we are getting to know each other,” Griego said. “I have met the coaches a few times.”
Overall, Griego says that she is in high spirits, and is excited to begin playing for Yavapai College.
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