At age 13, Alexandra Perez, a softball player with a 58 mph curveball, is not only quite the pitcher, but she is also quite a catch.

Standing at 5’ 10" and weighing 140 pounds, Alex has been recognized for her astounding athletic ability and her leadership qualities on both the Linfield Christian School middle school softball team, for which she played during the fall season, and currently on the Firecrackers traveling team.

Travel ball, in comparison to recreational or middle school ball, proves to be more physically and mentally demanding, requiring refined skill sets and dedication from the athlete. Alex practices up to four hours during the week, and 10 hours on weekends during tournament season. In addition, she has pitching and hitting lessons with Coach Rick Hopkins and ex-Olympian Larry Mays.

Alex draws inspiration from her travel coach Mike Lutterooh, a former major league baseball player.

"My coach, he drives us very hard, and he never wants us to be happy with where we are, but to excel further. I try to be a leader as far as work ethic goes," said Perez.

This past fall season, Alex and her Linfield team won the school’s first middle school championship; they defeated the Bloomington Ravens for the title. In July, her travel team, the Firecrackers, will travel to Colorado to compete on a national level in the Sparklers Tournament.

Alex has been playing since she was five-years-old, and since establishing her reputation on her teams as an inspiring leader and capable athlete, several colleges have already expressed interest in officially recruiting her when she comes of age, including UCLA and Cal State Fullerton, her first and second choices for college, respectively.

Alex’s success has come with sacrifices. She has missed birthday parties and vacations to make time for softball, but because she gets to spend time with her friends on the team, and witness the benefits of hard work so she continues to persevere.

Organizing time to spend solely with the family is harder than expected with such a busy schedule.

Alex says, "I honestly don’t know how I do it."

They are able to spend time together in between and during practice.

"I’m just proud," says Kathryn Perez, Alex’s mother, with tears in her eyes. "She’s going to go lots of places, she has a 4.0 GPA, she’s a great leader, she’s smart, her sisters look up to her…and she’s doing fantastic."

Alex and her sisters bond over softball. Jenna, who is almost 11, says her softball playing is influenced by her sister’s "strong attitude." Even when she has an off-day, Alex doesn’t let her emotions show to the other team.

"Learning from her experience," says Jenna, is what has aided her own attitude in games.

"I just started when I was little, [softball] was just a sport that was around but as I got older, it just seemed fun," said Alex. "And pitching is such a specialized position that you have to train hard to get to it. Eventually I learned to love it because there are so many different aspects to the game."

Alex continues to be an example of what it means to be dedicated to not only her schooling and family, but to her true passion – softball – and that’s what makes this pitcher a fine catch!