Emili O.

I have assisted in Advanced Fastpitch Training camps from 2013 to 2015. AFT is a business that has helped over 100 softball players obtain athletic scholarships to play at the college level. I joined AFT as a freshman in high school. There were weekly workouts and numerous camps held for college coaches throughout the year. I was recruited by New Mexico State as a power hitter my sophomore year. From that point on not only did I continue training with AFT as a verbally committed player I started assisting with the recruiting camps by demonstrating different drills and encouraging the players that were participating in the camp to showcase their skills. I myself have taken weekly hitting lessons for the past 10 years from a dozen different hitting coaches. I took a part of each of these hitting coaches’ philosophies and applied them into my own hitting approach and success.

Emili Olague - All American 1st team, All State 1st team, All State Tournament team, All Conference 1st team, 2016 State Champions | #30 | | Santiago Canyon College 2016 season - GP 50, AVG.497, HR 19, RBI 72, R 44

Player of the Week – Emili Olague – Santiago Canyon College
Freshman designated player Emili Olague powered the Hawks past a pair of schools ranked in the SoCal Top 10. Olague went a combined 8 for 12, with six of her eight hits going for extra bases. Olague laced five doubles and hit a pair of home runs, driving in six total runs, scoring four times, and drawing a trio of walks. Olague prepped at Marina HS and hails from Huntington Beach,

Player of the Week – Emili Olague – Santiago Canyon College
Olague, a freshman, had a monster week as the Hawks faced three of the top teams in the state (Cypress, Palomar, and Mt. SAC). Olague went 6-for-12 in the four games ending the week with a .500 average. Five of her six hits were for extra bases including three home runs (two of them were two-run home runs, the other a solo shot) as well as a pair of doubles. She scored a total of five runs and drove in a total of seven RBIs. It's her second State Player of the Week nod this season. Olague prepped at Marina High School and hails from Huntington Beach, CA.

STATISTICS CATEGORY OVERALL CONF
Games 50 -1st, Plate appearances 185 - 3rd, Hits 71- 3rd, Home Runs 19 -1st, Runs Batted In 72 - 1st, Total bases 44-1st, Walks 36 - 2nd, Strikeouts 8 - 488th, Sacrifice Flies 5 - 3rd, ­Batting Average .497 - 3rd, On Base Percentage -.584 -1st
Slugging Percentage -1.007- 2nd

I believe every hitter has their own style and that hitters weren't meant to look like cookie cutter hitters. The key is to find what works for you. Feeling comfortable in the box is very important. My coaching approach is to demonstrate certain fundamentals and drills that I know to be helpful in improving your swing and making solid contact with the ball. I also believe that the mental part of hitting has to be talked about over and over. Young hitters don’t always understand what coaches are talking about. As a coach you really need to spell it out and make sure you are making sense to the player. Lessons would consist of T-work, front toss in a cage and pitching machines. Throughout the lesson I will talk to students about why we are working on certain drills, what we are trying to accomplish and most importantly do they feel comfortable in what they are doing. I know from experience that some drills can become painful because of the repetition and hitting coaches trying to cram everything in a 30 minute lesson. It's more important to slow down and do the drill properly. I also feel after a few weeks and after seeing results the lesson plan needs to be mixed up. A hitter can't just do the same old thing over and over. I would also like to attend a few games in order to see how my student is doing in game situations.