Glendale softball’s Sammy Fabian has a 58-game hitting streak

It was the moment that changed everything for Samantha Lan Fabian, known as Sammy on the softball diamond.

She was 11 and a right-handed hitting outfielder. At a park in Burbank, she started “messing around” with her bat.

“I slapped for fun,” she said. “I wasn’t too bad at it. My hitting coach was, ‘I think I want to try this. Let’s see where it goes.’”

Where it has gone is to a level that many baseball players would envy. Since the day she played her first softball game for Glendale High in 2014, Fabian has gotten at least one hit in every game. Her hitting streak has reached 58 consecutive games. The state record is 71.

Remember that the Yankee Clipper, Joe DiMaggio, had a 56-game hitting streak in major league baseball.

You can call Fabian the Glendale Clipper.

“It’s a really cool accomplishment, but when I’m up in the batter’s box, I don’t worry about the streak,” she said. “I worry about having fun and helping my team out. I try not to think about the streak. That extra pressure can get into my head.”

The 5-foot-2 junior center fielder is committed to UC Santa Barbara and is batting .658 this season for 12-4 Glendale. And Coach Greg Martin wants everyone to know that the streak is “absolutely 100% legit.”

“She’s an exceptional hitter,” he said. “Her arsenal is extensive.”

Much can be traced back to that day in Burbank, because becoming a slap hitter has enabled Fabian to use her speed, instincts and intelligence to find ways to get on base.

Her hitting coach, Sara Larquier, said, “As a right-handed hitter, she did fine. She wasn’t making the adjustment she wanted but has always been fast. With her speed and size, she makes the perfect makeup for a lefty. She went to the left side and never looked back. She’s doing fantastic. It’s pretty amazing and a huge testament to her commitment to the game.”

Fabian has always watched softball on television trying to pick up tips from the best players at the collegiate level and incorporate them into her game.

“Slapping is really a great tool for softball especially when you’re fast,” she said. “It gives you an advantage. When you’re running, you can do a whole bunch of things, a hard slap, a soft slap. You can be very precise at what you want to do. It gives you more of a chance to read defenses.”

There have been times over the last three seasons when Fabian needed to come up with a clutch hit in her final at-bat to keep the streak alive.

“I know it’s going to end one day,” she said. “I know I’m going to be proud of myself either way. Sometimes bad things happen and you have to learn from it and be ready for the next pitch.”

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATSondheimer