When Samara Agredano arrived on De La Salle’s campus three years ago, Meteors coach Frankie Castagna thought the incoming freshman would develop into an excellent player.
And as De La Salle began the IHSA state playoffs hosting Hancock in the Class 3A De La Salle Regional final on May 30, Agredano was having a great junior season. Starting at shortstop, she was batting .459, slugging .745 and maintaining an OPS of 1.274. She had five home runs, 35 RBIs, 50 runs and 10 stolen bases.
In De La Salle’s 12-0 victory over the Eagles in five innings, Agredano was 2 for 2 with an RBI triple and a run scored.
“Samara’s been on varsity since her freshman year and she’s just as solid as they come,” Castagna said. “She’s probably one of the best players to come through our program and she’s making a name for herself.
“Defensively, she can cover as much ground as possible. She’s saved us in so many games this year. At the plate, she’s so strong. She’s a captain this year as a junior and she’s really stepped it up on both ends. She’s going to go far. Samara has a very, very good future.”
As impressive as her statistics may be, Agredano also contributes for De La Salle in other ways.
“My strength is that I’m able to lead my team and they’re able to feed off of that,” Agredano said. “I like being in a leadership role. I like to communicate with my teammates and make sure they’re up when they’re down.
“We keep growing as a team and we’re getting better and better every year. We’re playing as a team and we’re playing together.”
The regional title was the second straight for the Meteors (25-10).
“This year, the girls worked so hard to get a winning record and get a (No.) 2 seed,” Castagna said. “Knowing that this is a special team … they put the work in from day one.
“They really wanted to win it. In the dugout, they’re constantly talking, constantly supporting each other, constantly having each other’s backs. They earned it and they deserved it.”
Agredano had ample help in the victory over the Eagles (4-15). In the first inning, De La Salle took a 2-0 lead on a solo home run by winning pitcher Abby Trendle and a run scored by Alondra Soto on a wild pitch.
In the second, the Meteors scored seven times to widen their advantage to 9-0 as Trendle, Mya Alvarez and Brianna Gonzalez-Grimaldo provided RBI singles, Agredano added her RBI triple and Lilah Serrano chipped in a two-run single.
De La Salle scored its final three runs in the bottom of the fourth on Ellie Cabrera’s RBI walk and RBI singles from Kai Williams and Ella Falconio.
On the mound, Trendle went the distance, allowing five singles and one walk. The senior righthander struck out six.
“With pitching, I like the thrill of knowing that my teammates have my back on defense,” Trendle said. “You really feel in the moment.”