Trinity senior shortstop Abby Ramirez could be excused for looking ahead to her future.
She has committed to play softball for the University of Michigan next year and looks to fulfill her aspiration of appearing in the College World Series.
But instead of dreaming of days as a Wolverine, Ramirez has continued her onslaught on the softball diamond, hoping to take the Blazers past the 4A sectional title they won last year.
“She is the best player in the state, I believe,” Blazers coach Bob Osborne said. “She’s a real five-tool player who can do everything.”
In the Blazers’ 9-0 win over Oak Park-River Forest, Ramirez made use of all her hitting tools. She went 1-for-3 with a walk, reached base on an error in the bottom of the first and stole a base, leading to the Blazers’ first run. She hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the second.
“It’s amazing when she picks up the offense,” pitcher Chase Machain said. “It always inspires real confidence in the rest of the team.”
It is another trait, however, that Osborne finds even more important than Ramirez’s skills on the diamond.
“She has no ego. She will do whatever it takes for the team to win,” he said. “She’s always looking to improve and helping the team in any way she can.”
Ramirez refuses to be satisfied, which is another quality Osborne admires. She understands that softball is all about making improvements and adjustments.
“I’m always working on everything in my game,” Ramirez said. “If the offense is going good, I’m working on my defense. I’m trying to be as versatile as possible.”
Osborne compares Ramirez’s ability and skills to OPRF alumnus and Olympic Gold Medalist Dani Tyler. But Ramirez sees a lot of herself in Tammy Williams, who played shortstop at Northwestern and with the U.S. softball team. She currently plays for the Chicago Bandits, giving Ramirez a first-hand view of the player she wants to emulate.
“She [Williams] could always do a little of everything out there, and since she was a shortstop and she played at Northwestern, I always looked to her as a kind of role model and the mark she made,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez is off to a good start making a mark of her own in her final season with the Blazers.
