Bryan BeilkeTaking her time, Sarah Iwata exudes confidence as she steps into the box. Churning the dirt as she digs in with her cleats, she stares down the pitcher in a mode she describes as “intensely being relaxed.”
Cal Poly sophomore first baseman Krysten Cary says Iwata “has a look that just says ‘I’m going to get a hit and there’s nothing you can do about it.’ ”
When the game is on the line, there is no one the Mustangs are more comfortable with at the plate than Iwata, their senior rightfielder and designated player.
“She doesn’t make the game too big,” says Cal Poly head coach Jenny Condon. “In high-pressure situations she doesn’t change. Everyone is confident in her to come through. She has ice water in her veins.”
The senior, four-year starter is coming off one of the best offensive seasons in Cal Poly history, in which she hit .329 with 32 runs, seven home runs and 37 RBI (tied for the third-highest single-season total in program history). Her campaign was rewarded with an All-Big West Conference First Team selection, after being named an All-Big West honorable mention the previous two years.
Through 15 games this season, Iwata has hit .292 while leading the Mustangs (7-8), who play at Fresno State in the Bulldog Classic at 7 tonight, with 12 runs and six doubles in a team-high 48 at-bats.
The business major with a marketing emphasis, affectionately called “wataface” by her teammates, is from Torrance, or as she says, “grew up on the beach.”
That laid-back atmosphere has seeped through to softball for Iwata, explaining why she is able to keep her calm on the field even as the pressure rises.
“My mentality is don’t show emotion,” she says. “I just concentrate on beating the person I’m facing.”
Condon notes that Iwata stays even-keeled and that the team feeds off her attitude.
“She doesn’t ride the roller coaster,” Condon says.
It was this outlook Iwata attributes to helping get her to San Luis Obispo.
“When I was being recruited I was really struggling at travel ball, hitting .100 or something,” she says. “Since my offense wasn’t coming around, I knew I had to excel on defense. It was my glove that got me here.”
Her success at Cal Poly is even more astounding in the sense that most of her contributions have come offensively.
Iwata filled the designated player role for the past three years before making the move to right field this year, and says the development of her hitting is the individual accomplishment she is most proud of.
A lifelong shortstop, she had never played in right field but was confident that Condon had the team and her best interests at heart. The move has allowed other players to fill in at designated player, providing the team valuable experience and versatility.
During her freshman year, between at-bats she had a tendency to over-analyze, dwelling on every pitch, but adjusted by turning her attention to teammates.
“I just tried to encourage the defense, and help them however I could,” she remembers.
Perseverance and hard work has paid off for Iwata, who has been a constant in the lineup for the Mustangs over the past three years, averaging 52 games a season.
Her efforts culminated in a game against rival Cal State Fullerton last year when she hit two home runs, including the game winner in a 3-2 victory.
Another aspect that has helped Iwata succeed is the different perspective she gained from returning to help coach her former travel team.
“Coaching lets you see things from a different viewpoint,” Iwata says. “You learn so much about the strategy and the small things that make you successful.”
Condon isn’t surprised by Iwata’s commitment.
“Sarah is a student of the game,” Condon says. “She is always watching and observing, asking questions about strategy and why we did that in a certain situation. She is old-school, a throwback who studies the game, which you don’t see that often anymore.”
As Cary puts it, “She understands the game on all levels.”
Though Iwata is not extremely vocal, she still has taken on a leadership role as one of two seniors on the team.
Even as graduation nears and her college career comes to a close, she remains focused on the task at hand, determined to better last season’s regional postseason appearance.
She was willing to admit it would be “weird” to not have any softball obligations next fall.
“Throughout the entire year, I’ve always been playing or coaching,” says Iwata, who has played since age 5. “At first it will probably be a nice break but after, I don’t really know what to expect.”
When Iwata does take time to look back on the game that has played such a prevailing role in her life, she treasures more than just her time on the field.
“I love everything that comes with the game, meeting so many people,” she says. “I’ve met a lot of my closest friends through softball. And getting to travel, from the East Coast to Hawaii, pretty much everywhere I’ve been has been because of softball.”