Two Saugus High School softball players and one baseball player recently signed their national letters of intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at the next level.
Senior Ming Lee signed to play baseball at Trinity University, a private liberal arts college in San Antonio, Texas. Saugus baseball head coach Mike Miller said it’s one of the top Division 3 schools for baseball in the country. The Tigers are 33-7 and ranked second in the NCAA D3 Region X as of Thursday morning.
“I think he deserves it,” Miller said in a phone interview. “He puts a lot of work on and off the field, and then, most importantly, in the classroom, he’s excelling just as much as he is on the mound. So, that was a great thing for him to be rewarded.”
Seniors Allison Specht and Briana Garcia both signed to play softball — Specht at the University of Tampa, and Garcia at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida. Saugus softball head coach Kyle Mark said he wishes he could have more years with them after being named the head of the program prior to this season.
“Ali is the most sweet, kind, respectful kid,” Mark said. “She looks out for everybody, very much the big sister of our team … And then Bri Garcia, just extremely hard working, respectful, most humble girl. Will do anything for the team. Been an honor being her coach.”
Garcia helped the Centurions to an undefeated Foothill League title and a 23-4 overall record in the regular season as Saugus looks to make a deep run in the CIF Southern Section playoffs. Specht was set to make an impact for Mark’s squad, but a shoulder injury cost her the season.
“It just got to a point where we told her,” Mark said, “with her college commitment, you know, it’s best for her to look towards the future, not really try to push it, to get back out there and risk getting hurt again.”
Garcia hit .366 during the regular season, totaling 26 hits, 18 RBIs and 16 runs scored.
Lee helped the baseball team to a third-place finish in the Foothill League and a 16-12 overall record in the regular season. He pitched 29 1/3 innings in the regular season this year, allowing nine earned runs and 18 hits while striking out 19.
“Very important,” Miller said of Ming’s impact on the team’s success this year. “The last game, he threw a complete game, 81 pitches, against Castaic. He’s had multiple great starts to finish the year, which is really exciting, knowing that going into the playoffs.”
Both the baseball and softball teams at Saugus are awaiting Monday’s release of the Southern Section playoff brackets. The baseball brackets are set to come out at 10 a.m., while the softball brackets are slated to be released at noon.
“Our girls are just excited for the opportunity to play more games,” Mark said. “Obviously, our whole mentality as a team has just been taking one game at a time, focused on what’s in front of us, focused on what we can do and what we can control. So, yeah, definitely excited for the playoffs, definitely excited for more games with this group, and hopefully we can make a deep playoff run.”
