The sophomore even got her family involved. Herrera had three home runs when she stepped into the batter's box for her final at-bat in the fourth inning with a runner on base.
"I was trying not to get to antsy," Herrera said. "I told myself that I needed to do a job and hit the ball as hard as I can to bring in a run to contribute to my team."
With the count 1-1, Herrera drove the ball to deep center where her brother, an eighth grader at Cole Valley Christian, was standing just beyond the fence and caught the home run.
"My dad promised my brother Texas Roadhouse if I hit a fourth one so he went into the outfield to see if I would," said Herrera, who noticed her brother caught it when she was rounding second base. "He was so proud of that play that he even tried to keep the ball. He was definitely excited, but he was excited for that 8-ounce filet that he was about to eat."
Herrera had a rack of ribs and nearly had a no-hitter before it was broken up in the final inning.
Addy Herrera at the plate during a win over Emmett in March. (PHOTO: Julian Jenkins)
"I was definitely aware but I wasn't trying to focus on it too much because my goal at that point was to finish the game," Herrera said. "Our shortstop
Lauren Colson made an amazing attempt to try and save the no-hitter and she went all out. I pride her for her effort on that one."
Colson along with catcher
Brinkley Lauderdale each hit a home run in the win.
In 41 innings for the state champs as a freshman last season, Herrera had a 2.56 ERA. This year she is the Chargers' No. 1 pitcher and holds a 4-1 record with 46 strikeouts. She is second on the team with a .531 batting average behind Colson, who has four multi-home run games.
Herrera had five career home runs in her first 39 games before the four-bomb performance Monday. She credits her batting coach Sam Troyer for developing her swing.
The sophomore wears No. 98 because of Nebraska All-American Jordy Frahm. Katilyn Terry from Texas Tech, Taylor Tinsley of UCLA and Lilli Backes are also role models she looks up to.
"I saw Lilli on an Instagram video when she was at Georgia," Herrera said. "I'm not tall. I'm 5-foot-4. Usually when you see a collegiate pitcher at the highest level, they are tall girls. And Lilli Backes is about my height and she made it big. She is proof that you don't need to be tall to be a dominant pitcher."
Herrera excels in the classroom with a 4.1 grade point average and is determined to major in business with an emphasis in marketing. She also loves video editing and has experience with CapCut. On her
Instagram, Herrera puts out a series called "Road to 61 MPH," which she updates every day.
"When I was little I loved American Girl dolls so I would do stop motion videos with them and then I would edit them and post to YouTube," Herrera said. "When I started playing softball, I was focused on growing and getting better on the field. Now I'm combining the two."
Softball wasn't something that Herrera played until three years ago. Her dad would catch for her until she started throwing harder. Now her brother, who caught her fourth home run, gets behind the plate to help.
"I wouldn't be where I am today without the support of my parents," Herrera said. "They really believed in me."
