Danae Lopez, Amarillo High softball, Jr.
On the diamond: Amarillo High’s slugger did her part and then some leading the Lady Sandies past El Paso Del Valle in the Class 5A area round last weekend. Lopez feasted on Del Valle pitching hitting everything in sight going 8-for-12 in the three-game series for a batting average of .667 with three home runs, three doubles with a total of 11 RBIs. Those numbers echoed the tremendous season for Lopez who is hitting .591 on the season with a team-high 23 homers with 79 RBIs and has 18 doubles. Lopez and Amarillo High (33-3) will play Lubbock Monterey (31-5-1) in the regional quarterfinals with the best of a three-game series starting on Thursday in Plainview.
Coach Ty Hoobler: “Danae had a phenomenal weekend for us batting in the third spot. She’s been working hard through some mechanical issues and she’s really hitting the ball well right now and doing her job. She is seeing the ball great and hitting everything in front of her. A lot of that has to do with her putting in the work. She does a ton of work on her own and always strives to get better and she’s always trying to fix something. What I love the most is though she is so good her offense is great, her defense has really improved this year. She’s just an overall leader.”
Lopez: “It was another great weekend for us to win a tough playoff series and continue our goal of getting to the state tournament. I feel like I’m really seeing the ball well right now and I do my best to get the runs in when I get the opportunity. I think the work in the offseason has a lot to do with it. I do a hitting program to get my strength up and I do hitting drills every day. This has been such a fun year with my teammates. We have such great chemistry and we’re all more like sisters than teammates. We just want to continue this fun season.”
About Lopez
Favorite band or musician: Taylor Swift
Favorite social media platform: Twitter
Favorite athlete: Jocelyn Alo
Bet you didn’t know: Enjoys spending time with friends and reading books.
Parents: David and Melissa Lopez