Pitch (near) perfect: Enochs ace Perez named Modesto Metro Conference MVP

In a few months, Elisa Perez will head to Boise, Idaho, with hopes of resuscitating a Division I softball program.

Boise State finished 12-42 overall and last in the Mountain West Conference with a 4-20 mark and didn’t have a pitcher with an ERA lower than 4.85.

Perez, a three-year varsity standout at Enochs High School, hopes to be part of the solution.

She’ll leave Modesto with an open invitation from Broncos coach (and former University of the Pacific star pitcher) Cindy Ball to walk on, taking with her an array of pitches, a Modesto Metro Conference championship and the cheers of an entire region.

Long adored by those close to the Enochs program, Perez was recently named the Modesto Metro Conference’s MVP in a vote of its coaches.

Perez led the Eagles to a conference championship in her final season and the MMC’s top seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs. Enochs finished 11-1 in conference play, one game ahead of rival Gregori, and her effort helped keep the Jaguars, the defending champions, at bay.

Perez went the distance in a 3-2 victory over Gregori in the regular-season finale, giving up two runs and six hits. First baseman and fellow all-MMC first-team selection Alexis Flores (.424 average, 26 runs, five doubles) drove in the go-ahead run for the Eagles, who finished 17-8 overall and were seeded No. 4 in the Division I tournament.

First-year coach Moises Martinez, a longtime assistant who took over for Tim Williams, said those seven innings were indicative of Perez’s steely focus all season.

“She pitched for us last year and had a good season, but we came up one game short against Gregori,” said Martinez, the MMC’s Coach of the Year. “She flipped the tables on them this season. It was her work ethic and knowing this was her last year. She was dedicated, always worked hard and tried to make herself better.”

Perez had a senior season to remember, going 16-5 with a 2.17 ERA. She struck out 160, many on a tricky rise ball, and posted 10 shutouts, 20 complete games and a 37-inning scoreless streak to start league play.

She proved to be durable, too, pitching through pain, illness and fatigue. Perez logged 132 of Enochs’ 152 innings.

That was always the plan.

In his first official act as coach, Martinez enlisted the trust and confidence of his ace. He challenged her to carry the Eagles to new heights.

“I told her at the beginning of the season, she’s going to pitch every game,” Martinez said. “She’s going to be our workhorse and get us to where we need to be. She was ready for it. She was everything for us.

“She did what she was supposed to do. There was a spell there for two weeks that she had the flu. She was coughing and hacking, but she was out there wanting to pitch. I let her do it, because I felt she was our only chance.”

Perez was joined on the all-MMC first team by nearly the entire Gregori infield.

The Jaguars had a conference-high five players named to the first team: second baseman Nichole Alexander (.494 average and 43 hits, both team highs); third baseman Jasmine Temple (.481, team-high 36 RBIs); pitcher Maddi Marsh (9-6, 2.28 ERA, 98 strikeouts); shortstop Melanie Menor (.341, 28 hits); and catcher Samantha Shaffer (.379, six doubles, 1.000 fielding percentage).

Marsh, Alexander and Temple will return next spring, forming the nucleus of another title contender.

Downey’s renaissance is buoyed by the leadership and hot hitting of two first-team picks: catcher Ashley Bonham (.388, 21 pickoffs) and shortstop Deja Acosta (.548, 38 hits). Beyer outfielder Brittney Meyers (.537, 36 hits) and Johansen catcher D’Angel Zavala rounded out the all-MMC first team.

Martinez said he has the pieces to bolster the Eagles’ title defense, but he hasn’t identified a replacement for Perez.

“We’re going to have to regroup,” he said. “Gregori has its pitcher (Marsh) coming back. We have a couple of players coming back, but we’ll have to work a lot harder.”

By then, Perez will be faced with her own challenge. Her roster spot at Boise State isn’t guaranteed, but she fills an immediate need.

“She’s put herself in a good situation over there,” Martinez said. “Boise State has had a rough time. I’ve been talking to a few people, and they say their pitching isn’t the best. She might be a good asset for them.”

This story was originally published May 26, 2015 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Pitch (near) perfect: Enochs ace Perez named Modesto Metro Conference MVP."