As the leadoff batter and first baseman for the Orcutt Youth Softball Association’s 8U All-Stars, Abigail Salazar lit the spark under the Sparks.
With her bat and hustle, Salazar helped lead her team to a 9-8-1 record. The Sparks won the Nipomo tournament in June, going 3-0, and followed it up two weeks later by winning the Orcutt tournament, going 4-0 over the 4th of July weekend.
“We just had fun, and my coach taught me a lot this year,” Salazar said.
At the Santa Maria All-Star tournament on July 17 and 18, Salazar finished with six hits in nine at-bats. Overall for the Sparks, Salazar slapped 26 hits in 37 at-bats for a whopping .703 batting average. She also made the last three outs of the year in dramatic fashion, first catching a line drive, then fielding a grounder, touching her base, and running home to tag the runner for a season-ending double play.
“She was one of our motivators,” said Sparks’ manager Eddie Hernandez. “She would always get the team pumped up right before the games. Her voice just stood out.”
With a penchant for sliding headfirst into the bag, no matter the circumstances, Salazar was aggressive all season long whether at bat or on the field, according to her coach.
“She’s just a go-getter,” Hernandez said. “Whatever you ask from her, she’ll go do it. She loves to slide.”
One of the youngest members of the Orcutt All-Stars at age 7, Salazar said she hopes to someday play softball for Righetti High School.
This article appears in Jul 29 – Aug 5, 2010.