Muriel Mason

Steve Virgen

When Muriel Mason first started to pitch, it was not one of those

dramatic natural processes that are usually attached to pitchers

destined for greatness. Mason, who is now one of the starting

pitchers for the Estancia High softball team, used to hit batters

when she first tried to pitch back in elementary school.

“At first I wasn’t that good,” Mason, a freshman, said of her

pitching. “I hit at least the first six batters I pitched to. I felt

really bad that I was hitting my teammates.”

Mason loved softball too much to give up. She worked tirelessly at

becoming a better pitcher. By the time she came out for the Estancia

softball team this season she had developed confidence because of the

work she put in. However, her ego took a bit of a dip, since she

started the season in the outfield, after competing for a starting

pitching role.

“I was perfectly fine with it,” Mason said of playing outfield.

“But, I was motivated to do better and to practice harder so that I

could become one of the No. 1 pitchers. Now it’s just a matter of

going out there and playing another game. But, you have to go out

there and play hard.”

Marc Rodig, Estancia’s Coach who is in his second year with the

program, quickly became aware of Mason’s hustle and determination.

It’s that type of attitude that excites the coach about his young

player’s future.

“She gives you everything she has,” Rodig said. “She has a strong

work ethic and she’s a competitor. I couldn’t ask for anything more

for what she’s doing this year. I could see her being a team leader.

The girls really look up to her because of her success and hard

work.”

Mason’s results stem from a true appreciation of softball. She has

been playing it since she was 7. When she was 6 she played T-ball for

Costa Mesa Little League. Then the following years she played

softball in a league in Fountain Valley.

During her childhood, Mason used to watch her half-brother Paul

Flory play baseball and pitch and that inspired her.

“[Pitching] just looked like a lot of fun,” Mason said.

Before Mason became an eighth-grader at TeWinkle Intermediate she

developed an intense desire to improve as a pitcher. She trained,

one-on-one, with a pitching specialist, Rae Rice, and quickly noticed

a difference.

“It was a dramatic improvement,” Mason said. “I was taught about

fastballs and I started to get a lot more pitches down.”

Recently, Mason has been displaying her knack for pitching, while

also being a consistent hitter. Last week, in the circle and at the

plate, she helped lead the Eagles to three victories, including a 1-0

Golden West League win over Westminster.

Mason, the Daily Pilot of the Week, recorded a complete-game,

four-hitter that came with four strikeouts and four walks in the

league-opening victory over Westminster March 26. She called it her

best athletic moment, yet knowing there is more to come.

“Hey, I’m only a freshman,” she said.

Mason earned a .400 batting average in the four games Estancia

played last week. She went 2-1 in the games she pitched and delivered

nine strikeouts in those games. In addition, she collected four extra

base hits and six runs scored, as the Eagles won three of four games.

She went 4 for 4 with two triples and four RBIs in Estancia’s 10-2

win over Connelly in the Costa Mesa Tournament March 27.

“I was told from the kids at school that she was a good player,”

Rodig said. “But more than that she’s a coachable player. She admits

any faults and takes responsibility for what she does on and off the

field. I think she felt as a freshman that she wasn’t going to step

into that [pitching] role, but she kind of worked her way into it,

and I think she’s enjoying it once she’s there. As a coach that’s a

blessing to have a freshman like her. I’ll definitely take that.”