Sorcerer 18 Gold - Mumma

There were times during Breana Kostreba's four seasons on the Aptos High softball team when the 5-foot-3 slugger seemed to know what pitch was coming, as if the ball had been softly tossed into the path of her powerful swing.

Of course a pitch approaching the plate is actually moving quite rapidly and often darting, but Kostreba was rarely fooled. After a towering homer this season --" one of 15 her senior year and 47 in her varsity career --" Kostreba explained she can anticipate a pitch's move because she can see the spin or a slight change in the pitcher's grip or delivery. A teammate sitting nearby, who, it should be noted, is a great hitter in her own right, was shocked by this revelation.

"You see the spin?" the teammate asked. "I can't do that."

Kostreba's hitting prowess set her apart as one of the best athletes in the county this season and maybe the best local softball player ever. She tied for the state lead in homers this year and finished fourth all-time in California for her career. Her county-best .569 batting average as a senior with 43 runs and 50 RBIs earned her Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League and Sentinel All-County Player of the Year honors for the third time.

She also excelled academically, graduating with a 4.35 GPA and helping her school's robotics team win an international underwater robotics competition in Houston this month.

Next year, Kostreba will swing for the fences at Cal, where she's been verbally committed to play since she was a freshman.