Maddy Jelenicki made all-Foothill League first team in softball as a freshman at Valencia (Calif.) and already has committed to UCLA.
However, this spring as a sophomore she will be playing baseball at
Saugus (Calif.).
Jelenicki transferred to Saugus for what she termed family reasons, but the Southern Section claimed it was for athletic reasons and she was ruled ineligible to play softball this spring.
Saugus baseball coaches decided to give her a tryout, received the green light by team members and were pleased by her performance.
"She came out one day and was pretty impressive," baseball coach John Maggiora told the Santa Clarita Valley Signal. "There's probably not another softball player who can do what she's doing. It's not easy. It's a challenge, but she's having fun with it."
She said, "To an athlete who loves playing a sport like I do, it's heartbreaking. That's why I'm doing something else. I just want to be part of the team. Everyone's been so nice to me. The guys are amazing. It's a great team. The coaches are super nice. They make me feel really welcome on the team. I hope to help my team win a championship. I know they can do it. Whatever my role is, I'm just helping them."
She has made good contact in hitting drills and has been tried at both second base and shortstop. Her playing time, however, probably will be limited.
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Brian Ruhm opened the baseball season with a bang as he slammed two home runs and drove in 10 runs to lead
Redlands (Calif.) to a 14-0 victory over Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley, Calif.).
Angel Landazuri pitched a one-hitter.
