Girls’ Player of the Week : Her Mom Knew Best When It Came to Softball

On her 10th birthday, Stephanie Smith received many gifts:

A portable radio. A book about the movie, “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.” A set of Garfield lunch bags.

These were nice, but what Smith, now a sophomore at Garden Grove High School, remembers most is the present her mother gave her one day late.

Pitching lessons.

“I guess you could say that gift was everlasting,” Smith, 15, said. “It changed my life.”

If it didn’t change her life, it certainly changed her outlook on softball. Since she started playing softball at 6, Smith most often played right field, a postion she despised.

“I always dreamed of being a pitcher,” she said. “I used to stand out there in right field and just pretend I was one.”

Smith, The Times’ player of the week, needn’t pretend anymore.

Last Tuesday, Smith, a 5-foot 6-inch right-hander, pitched a perfect game in an 11-0 victory over Rancho Alamitos.

Smith struck out nine in the game, which was called after five innings because of a 10-run mercy rule.

Thursday, Smith gave up two hits and two unearned runs and struck out seven in 5 1/2 innings in a 3-0 loss to Kennedy.

This season, Smith (5-7, 3-1) has pitched two no-hitters and has an earned-run average of 0.99. In 85 innings, Smith has struck out 101 for Garden Grove (8-10, 3-1).

She also leads the Argonauts in on-base percentage (.286).

Smith said she owes much of her success to her mother, Judy Smith, who, for that memorable birthday, secretly arranged for Stephanie to be evaluated at a Garden Grove pitching school.

“My mom just told me to get in the car that day,” Smith said. “I just figured we were going for a drive.”

The evaluation went well, and Smith developed her talents quickly. At 11, she made the American Girls’ Softball Assn. 12-and-under national team, the Garden Grove Junior Batbusters.

Smith, along with Cheryl Longeway (now the top pitcher at Kennedy), led the Batbusters to national championships in 1984 and 1987. As defending champions, Smith and the Batbusters automatically qualify for this summer’s nationals at Marietta, Ga.

Smith, who continues to receive weekly pitching instruction--renewed each birthday by her mother--said her main goal is just to continue to improve each year.

“That’s the main thing,” she said. “I’ll always play the game. I love it. And what would I be doing if I weren’t playing softball?”

Perhaps finding something else in which she was so gifted.

TOP PERFORMERS

Terry Carpenter of Edison was named the most valuable pitcher of the Canyon softball tournament Saturday. Carpenter (8-3) pitched her fourth no-hitter of the season and struck out 18 in a 3-2 victory over Simi Valley in the third-place game. In five tournament games, Carpenter gave up 7 hits and struck out 90 in 46 innings.

Allison Franke of Canyon placed second in the discus with a throw of 149-6 at the Arcadia Invitational Saturday.

Michele Granger of Valencia struck out 23 and pitched her third perfect game of the season, this one an 11-inning 3-0 victory over Loara Thursday. Granger pitched a no-hitter and struck out 18 in a victory over Troy Tuesday. Granger pitched her eighth no-hitter of the season Saturday, leading the Tigers to a 2-1 victory over Kennedy.

Danielle Reaves of Esperanza won the 100-meters and the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in leading the Aztecs to the girls’ championship at the Poway Invitational Saturday.

Stephanie Smith

Garden Grove High

Position: Pitcher.

Height, Class: 5-6, Soph.

Last Week: Smith pitched a perfect game and struck out nine in an 11-0 victory over Rancho Alamitos Tuesday. Thursday, Smith gave up 2 hits and 2 unearned runs and struck out 7 in 5 1/2 innings in a 3-0 loss to Kennedy.

Season: Smith (5-7, 3-1) has pitched two no-hitters and has an earned-run average of 0.99. Smith has struck out 101 in 85 innings for Garden Grove (8-10, 3-1). Smith also leads the Argonauts with a .286 on-base percent age.