Speed makes her nation’s top recruit
Paul Buccellato walked off the field after a tough seasonending loss at Freedom-Oakley last month.
The Alhambra-Martinez softball coach had just watched his team squander a four-run lead in the sixth before losing 11-7 on a walk-off grand slam in the seventh. No problem, he said. Freedom earned it with three homers that plated eight runs in an inning-plus.
He was fine until someone brought up that it was the last game he would coach senior shortstop Briana Perez. His eyes welled.
“In 19 years at Alhambra, I’ve never seen a better allaround player than Briana,” he said. “It’s not really even close. There’s nothing she can’t do.”
Perez showed it in her final game, going 3-for-4 with two runs, two stolen bases and three RBIs. The effort came against The Chronicle’s 2016 Metro Player of the Year Vanessa Strong, who was coming off a 19-strikeout perfect game in a first-round North Coast Section playoff win over Arroyo-San Lorenzo.
Perez, a UCLA signee, also made a diving catch of what looked to be a single up the middle.
It was a strong finish for Perez, who FloSoftball.com rates as the nation’s No. 1 recruit.
“That’s just Briana,” Buccellato said. “Right to the end she was pretty much spectacular.”
That is why she is The Chronicle’s 2017 Metro Softball Player of the Year, beating out Foothill-Pleasanton freshman Nicole May, Amador Valley-Pleasanton pitcher Danielle Williams and Perez’s own teammate, Cal-bound second baseman Karlee Sparacino.
Perez, whose sister Kylee is a two-time first-team All-Pac-12 performer at UCLA, closed out an illustrious career hitting .600 with 43 runs, 39 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 26 attempts.
The fleet 5-foot-5 standout was a model of consistency, batting .458 as a freshman, followed by seasons of .608 and .613. Perez finished with 172 hits, 187 runs, 148 RBIs, 26 doubles, 19 triples, 31 home runs, a .571 average and 96 steals in 98 attempts in her prep career.
Now she’ll get one season to play with her sister, perhaps as a starting middle infielder for the Bruins.
She’s done that four years with Sparacino, who was remarkably productive and consistent herself with a career .523 average and 143 career runs, 177 hits, 173 RBIs and 59 extra-base hits.
With a 20-6 record in 2017, the Bulldogs were 94-13 with three NCS titles over four seasons with Perez and Sparacino in the lineup.
“I’ve been very, very lucky, to say the least,” Buccellato said. “Those are two girls you simply don’t replace.”
Perez began playing the game at the age of 8, inspired by her sister. A soccer and basketball standout as well, Perez picked up every softball skill imaginable, but it is her speed that sets her apart.
Buccellato said she’s the fastest player he’s coached in 20 years.
“That’s a trait you just can’t coach,” he said. “It’s such a vital part of this game. She’s a Division I talent without the speed, but the reason she’s considered the best in the country is because of it.”
The left-handed hitter (she throws right) showed it in the sixth inning against Freedom, dunking a hit over the first baseman’s head. By the time the right fielder got to the ball, Perez was on second with a double.
She then stole third and scored on a hit.
Perez’s father, Jeff, said speed was always a big part of his younger daughter’s game.
“She really had no idea how fast she was,” he told FloSoftball.com. “When friends or family would comment on her speed, I would shake my head and say that she runs like a dog is chasing her.”
Perez picked UCLA to play another season with her sister — the two played at Alhambra in 2014 when the Bulldogs began a streak of three titles — and to win a national title.
She says the most fun she’s ever had playing softball is with her sister. The 2014 team was one of Alhambra’s best, going 25-2 and outscoring opponents 301-41.
Kylee Perez hit .481 on that team with 26 RBIs, Briana hit .458 with 27 RBIs and Sparacino was better than everyone on that team with a .608 average.
Sparacino’s older sister Hailey, a senior on the 2014 team, led the squad with 42 RBIs. The Bulldogs hit .436 as a team that year.
Briana Perez reflects fondly on those memories, but is more focused on the future.
“Kylee told me about all the struggles she had having to manage her time,” she said. “It’s nice to have a mentor who will make it easier for me when I get there.”