Charger Power

Christa Saindon of Cypress College has the wrong idea about how softball is supposed to be played.

Many believe pitchers dominate and victories are often the result of bunts and throwing errors. But Saindon clearly doesn’t follow this traditional path.

She sees softball as an offensive game and isn’t at all happy if she makes an out.

Saindon makes her statement for the offense by just putting on her uniform, which has No. 44 on it.

It’s no coincidence it’s the same number that was worn by Hank Aaron and Reggie Jackson, two of baseball’s all-time power hitters.

“I just think it’s a big hitter’s number,” Saindon said. “I always wanted to hit home runs growing up.”

Saindon batted third last season for Cypress but has been moved into the leadoff spot this season in an effort to get her as many at-bats as possible.

She is hitting .378, has scored 34 runs, driven in 14 and has three doubles, five triples and five home runs for the Chargers.

“She’s probably one of the best ones we’ve ever had here,” Cypress Coach Brad Pickler said. “We tell her we expect her to carry us, but she has to realize she can’t do it all the time. She just has to relax and go out there and play.”

Saindon came to Cypress from Cypress High as a nervous, worried freshman but has become a more relaxed sophomore after spending the summer on a three-part journey that matched her against many of the world’s elite softball players.

Her travels started in Normal, Ill., where she played for the United States in the Junior World games against teams from 13 countries.

Saindon, who plays shortstop at Cypress, played second base during the Junior World tournament. The U.S. team won the title.

“When they put that gold medal around my neck,” Saindon said, “that was the best feeling in the world.”

Upon returning home, she started working toward her ultimate goal, which is to play for the United States in the Olympics in 2000. She played for the West team in the Olympic Festival in Denver in late July.

After another short stay at home, she was on the road to the Olympic trials in Oklahoma City.

At each stop, Saindon held her own most of the time against the nation’s top players.

“[The summer] put me in a mode where I know what I’m capable of doing,” she said. “I don’t feel the added pressure but yes, I still get upset at times.”

Saindon, who has always been a vocal leader, was a standout baseball player in Little League and missed by one year being on the Cypress team that made it to the Little League World Series.

Once she got to high school, she switched to softball in hopes of earning a scholarship to a four-year college.

Saindon, who started for her high school’s varsity team for four seasons, was recruited by several colleges, but she failed to score high enough on her Scholastic Assessment Test to be eligible for a scholarship.

So she came to Cypress College, but didn’t come alone. She brought along a great deal of self-induced pressure. It didn’t help that before she even played a game, Saindon was being compared to Rose Ferrante, the best hitter in Cypress history. Ferrante hit .420 and .389 in her two seasons at Cypress.

Saindon was able to top Ferrante by driving in a Cypress single-season record 42 runs and also hit .326 with nine doubles and eight triples.

“It didn’t really bug me as much as I thought it would,” Saindon said about not getting a chance to go to a four-year college out of high school.

One of the reasons she can be so relaxed about missing out is that she has already signed with Cal State Northridge for next season. She was also recruited by Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Cal State Fullerton and Nevada Las Vegas.

Scott Pickler, the Cypress baseball coach, said Ferrante and Saindon are the only two softball players at Cypress he thought could handle baseball pitching.

“This year I’m just going out and hitting and not being worried about stats,” Saindon said. “I don’t have nearly as much pressure as before.”