Special athletes are tough to find, but easy to identify. It’s not every day we see someone we can truly call “special,” but those select few let us know with their abilities very quickly. It didn’t take many of her
Special athletes are tough to find, but easy to identify. It’s not every day we see someone we can truly call “special,” but those select few let us know with their abilities very quickly.
It didn’t take many of her at-bats on TV for me to determine that Jessica Iwata was a special athlete. I wasn’t anywhere near the first to reach that conclusion, as I’ve talked to many people who have shared stories of watching her come up the ranks and crush KIF competition at Kaua‘i High School. The former Raider Wahine stood out then and has continued that elite showcase throughout her four years at the University of Hawai‘i.
If professional scouts have been paying similar attention, Iwata could be selected on Monday during the National Pro Fastpitch college softball draft. The NPF, which is the highest level of professional softball in America, consists of four teams and conducts a yearly five-round draft. That means just 20 players are selected from the pool of eligible seniors, so only the cream of the crop will hear their name called.
One doesn’t have to look very far back into history to see the last UH player drafted into the NPF. Pitcher Stephanie Ricketts was chosen 10th overall in 2012 by the Chicago Bandits, so the teams are well aware of the talent on display at Rainbow Wahine Stadium.
My general knowledge and nationwide scouting of college softball is admittedly limited, so I can’t say whether or not Iwata is likely to find herself on one of the four pro rosters. What I can say is I’d be surprised if there are 20 players with more talent and natural ability. I can’t imagine how any coach or scout could watch the ball jump off her bat and not be impressed.
Halfway through her senior season, Iwata has put up huge career numbers and collected numerous accolades for the Rainbow Wahine. She is a three-time All-WAC first team selection and was named WAC Player of the Year as a freshman in 2009. She was selected to, and played for, the 2010 USA Softball Women’s Futures National Team
Entering this season, Iwata had a career batting average of .373 with 47 home runs and 159 RBIs in 172 games played. By her lofty standards, this has been a down year, entering Saturday’s action with a .242 average, two home runs and 18 RBIs through 33 games. With almost the entire Big West schedule still to play out, I think she’ll be introducing herself to the new conference foes and regaining that same form from previous seasons very soon.
The four NPF teams that will be making their roster additions tomorrow are the USSSA Pride, Chicago Bandits, NY/NJ Comets and Akron Racers. The draft takes place at 2 p.m. Hawaiian (8 p.m. Eastern) in Nashville, Tenn. It will be streamed live on the internet on ESPN3, so you can follow along and find out if Iwata is mainland-bound.
•‘My Thoughts Exactly’ appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays in The Garden Island. Email David Simon your comments or questions to dsimon@thegardenisland.com.
