Shortstop Set the Tone for Near-Perfect Royal

On the field and off, Andi Ramirez was the unquestioned leader of the Simi Valley Royal softball team. She was always easy to find, mostly because she was always doing something to help the Highlanders win.

Whether it was scoring the big run, driving it in, or saving it with her defense, Ramirez was the model of consistency.

The senior shortstop had always performed well in the past, but she galvanized her elite status during her fourth year in the starting lineup.

Ramirez was an obvious choice as The Times’ softball player of the year for her contribution to Royal’s near-perfect season, which ended with the Highlanders (29-2) winning the Southern Section Division I championship, their first title in the section’s toughest-ever playoff field.

She hit safely in 13 of the last 14 games. Royal ended the season with 15 consecutive victories, during which it beat eight teams that had been ranked among The Times’ top 25. In five playoff victories, including three by one run, Ramirez batted .529 (nine for 17), scored six runs and drove in three.

In Royal’s first trip to a final, Ramirez delivered a leadoff single to center field, stole second and scored on a sacrifice and throwing error. In five minutes, she had manufactured the only run necessary in a 2-0 victory over Valencia.

“I try to lead by my actions,” Ramirez said. “It’s not necessarily telling the team what to do, but showing them, trying to lead the way.”

Said Royal assistant Todd Prieto: “BYU is fortunate to get a lady of that character. She’s never negative, a very positive young lady.”

Ramirez wasn’t an obvious player-of-the-year candidate at the beginning of the season. She had always been steady, but Coach Bill Dishon soon realized that Ramirez had turned into “a monster” at the plate. “She just kind of quietly got it done in the past,” he said.

This season, Ramirez roared. Royal scored 178 runs, the most among any Division I team, and Ramirez had a hand in 56 of them, or 31.4%, from the leadoff spot.

She batted .460, scored 39 runs and had 18 runs batted in. An aggressive hitter, she had four doubles, six triples, one home run, a .539 on-base average and 13 stolen bases.

“First of all, you do not want to put her in a clutch situation because she’ll come through,” said Newbury Park Coach Darrin Carr, whose team was the last to defeat Royal, 4-3, six weeks before the season ended. “Defensively, you don’t want to hit the ball anywhere near her.

“You can’t put yourself in a situation where Andi’s going to hurt you because she will.”

And she did.