Tampa, Fla. – Earning
the chance to make an impact on a Hofstra softball team that typically starts
eight upperclassman out of the 10 positions can be a daunting task for a young
player. For most of the season, sophomore second baseman Tori Rocha has ably
filled the role of the solid role player while trying to bring balance to the
bottom of the order.
But in the last six games, Rocha has emerged as one of
Hofstra's most clutch hitters in the most important games. Undaunted by her
first NCAA Tournament experience, Rocha had a hit in all three of the Pride's
contests to help Hofstra sweep the Los Angeles Regional. The performance on the
national stage might be surprising to outsiders, though it didn't shock the
program's most ardent observer.
“She literally figured this game out about two and a half
weeks ago,” Hofstra head coach Bill Edwards said with a smile. “We've been
really growing as a team and Tori, as a first-year starter who struggled a
little early, just needed some time to figure it out. I knew she would and she's
come up big with key hits and her defense has improved tremendously.”
Rocha went 3-for-7 in helping the Pride go 3-0 in regional
action. She registered RBIs in back-to-back wins over San Diego State
University to lift Hofstra to the Super Regionals for the first time in program
history. Now, with the Pride playing in the softball equivalent of the Sweet
16, Rocha said the team won't be satisfied unless it can prevail in the best-of-three
series against the University of South Florida and advance to the Women's
College World Series.
After knocking off No. 12 overall seed UCLA on its home
field at Easton Stadium and winning twice against a talented SDSU squad,
Hofstra (41-13) will carry a 20-game winning streak into Friday night's 7 p.m. Game
1 against USF (45-11). The lights will now be brighter than on the West Coast:
literally on the USF Softball Stadium field and figuratively with all games in
the series being broadcasted by ESPNU.
“We're on a roll and I don't think we're going to be
intimidated by anyone,” Rocha said. “We're going to go out there and do our
thing.”
The turning point in Rocha's season came in the second game
of the Colonial Athletic Association championship tournament two weeks ago.
With Hofstra and defending-champion Georgia State locked in a scoreless tie in
the winners' bracket contest, Rocha drilled a long solo home run to
right-center field. Rocha, who entered
with just one career home run in her first 62 career games, provided the only
offense in a 1-0 win. The next day, Hofstra won its ninth CAA championship in
11 years.
“It was only the second home run of my career and I didn't
expect it,” Rocha said about her shot off GSU's ace Alana Thomas. “Now, I feel
like I can hit anyone.”
Since that blast, Rocha has only gotten better while
emerging as an offensive threat as a middle infielder. The Rehoboth, Ma. native
paced the Pride in the NCAA regional, batting team best .429 with two RBIs
while converting all three of her chances in the field, including a nice
backhand stop on a hard-hit grounder in the first contest against the Aztecs.
Now, Rocha and the first of the Hofstra offense will face a
strong USF pitching staff led by sophomore Sara Nevins (29-5, 1.01 ERA). Unlike
the four-team bracket in regional play, the best-of-three Super Regionals is a
head-to-head competition that will start Friday with Game 2 Saturday at 2:30
p.m. and Game 3, if necessary, set to follow at 5:00 p.m.
“It's tough because going into that second game, you don't
know if you figured them out, or if they have figured you out,” Rocha said. “It's
anyone's guess who has the advantage. You just have to go out and play.”
Rocha played in just 13 games as a freshman, earning 16
at-bats mostly as a pinch hitter. She came off the bench to play the infield,
outfield and at designated player while mostly learning behind all-first team
CAA second baseman Jess Hirschbuhl.
Entering this season, Hirschbuhl moved to first before an
arm injury shortened her season. But Hirschbuhl has helped Rocha adjust to her
full-time role as a second baseman and fellow senior Courtney Crews has also
worked to ease Rocha's transition to a full-time starter.
“They're like big sisters, you can ask them anything,” Rocha
said. “Jess has been there from the beginning and along with coach, they have
really made me the player I am now. All
the veterans make sure everything is going well on-and-off the field.”
For the season, Rocha is hitting .291 with 14 RBIs and a
.392 on-base percentage.
