Lompoc High School senior Olivia Gutierrez was so amped for the Braves’ CIF Division 5 championship match on June 4, that she wasn’t sure if it was prudent to discuss her arsenal of pitches with the Sun.
“Am I allowed to tell you this?” she asked during a phone interview on June 3, the day before the finals. “I don’t know if the other team’s going to read this.”
After assuring her the article would publish after the game, Gutierrez cautiously revealed that she’s been dominating opposing batters with five—yes, five—different pitches: a fastball, riser, curveball, screwball, and changeup.
Gutierrez worked that pitch combination to near perfection during Lompoc’s impressive run to the CIF finals. The senior pitcher shut out both St. Bonaventure High School and Silverado High School in respective semifinal and quarterfinal matches. Both games were very close, with Lompoc slipping by Silverado 1-0 and St. Bonaventure 3-0—with Gutierrez as the difference.
Then, in the championship game, Gutierrez put a bow on her storybook season, shutting down Louisville High School 3-0.
True to her humble, team-first attitude, Gutierrez was quick to credit her teammates for the results and shied away from talking about her performances.
“There’s not really one star on this team,” she said. “When [the other team] hits the ball, every single one of my teammates are there to back it up.”
That trust in her defenses has strengthened over the years. When reflecting on her personal progress over her four-year varsity career, Gutierrez emphasized how much she’s been able to relax about letting her teammates make the plays behind her.
“I’m more trusting to my team, that I don’t have to do it by myself,” Gutierrez said. “I know in my junior and senior years I really put my trust in my team. I know it’s going to be OK if they hit the ball, because [my teammates] are going to make that play that we need to make.”
Gutierrez embraces her role as a leader for the Braves both on the mound and in the batter’s box. She bats cleanup in the lineup.
“It’s a privilege; I’m really honored to be one of the captains,” Gutierrez said.
She noted that her leadership style is about being an approachable teammate.
“I’m definitely a person that [my teammates] can come to,” she said, adding, “We really all have each other’s back. That’s probably one of the reasons why we’ve gotten this far.”
Gutierrez hopes to continue her softball career into college, but she’s still undecided on where that will be. With the way the ace has performed under the bright lights this spring, Gutierrez should have more opportunities ahead.
This article appears in Jun 9-16, 2016.