With a currently held record of 5-1, freshman pitcher Reina Trejo, 18, plays softball with great enthusiasm and always has a big smile on her face about how exciting it is for her to play what she loves, and how the sport has helped develop a great relationship with her father.

“Softball is like a safe place for me,” Trejo said. “I come and play, and it’s just where I get away, although i’m at school all the time, but when I’m on the field i’m having fun. “It’s what I like to do and there is no like taking me out of that,” she added.

Her dad influenced her love for softball over the years, and when she was 4 years old, her dad got her into playing softball, according to Trejo.

“When I started to play softball, I was just shocking, and now I really enjoy it,” Trejo said. “My father has been my inspiration for everything I have done, and is a huge part of my life.” “We are really close, so he is my coach and taught me everything I know,” Trejo added. “I’m just listening to what say, because he plays a part in my decision making.”

Trejo said that softball coach Elaine Martinez recruited her from Torrance High School, and Martinez brought her to El Camino to ask about what she wanted to do after graduating, and at the moment Trejo didn’t know where she wanted to go, but knew that she wanted to play at a community college. Knowing this, Martinez opened the doors here at EC, where she decided to play for the Warriors.

“I actually really feel proud of myself,” Trejo said. “I didn’t pitch much in high school, but now that i’ve started back pitching again, I felt it wasn’t going to be as great as I have been doing now,” Trejo said.

Some activities Trejo does during her free time is to sleep or hang out with friends, and she also considers herself an artist, because she likes to draw and take pictures. Before every game, she likes to listen various types of hype music, and one of her favorite songs is Dark Horse by Katy Perry.

In the future, Trejo wants to play for a four year university after EC, and she wants to pursue a career to become an athletic trainer.

“We consider Trejo as to what we call ‘gold gamers’,” coach Melissa Sanchez said. “Her mentality is that she has to work extra hard in order to go to distance, and she always leads by example, and if we need a leader with strong work ethic, definitely Trejo is that person,” coach Melissa Sanchez said.