Softball:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

You couldn’t blame Miranda Robson or her teammates at Los Osos if they’d never heard of singer Vanessa Williams.

But it seems a No. 1 hit single that she released more than a decade before any of the 2020 Grizzlies had even been born called ‘Save the Best for Last’ most aptly describes this resilient group of young women.

In the previous three years, Los Osos struggled mightily, going a combined 17-46 overall and 5-25 in Baseline League play.

In just 11 games before the Coronavirus wiped out the rest of their 2020 season, the Grizzlies (8-3) nearly tripled the number of wins from last year (3-16) and matched the number of victories in 2018, which took 22 games to achieve back then.

Before the season began, Los Osos’ Mike Randall and his staff sat the players down and reaffirmed the commitment the coaches were willing to make, but to be successful, the student-athletes were going to have to match that effort.

And match it they did.

The players bought in and the difference was as impressive as it was dramatic.

Los Osos was just about to open Baseline League play, when, on a rainy Friday in the school library, Randall had to break the hearts of 19 girls by telling them the season was over.

There were tears all around, but the devastation on the faces of the underclassmen for their senior teammates said a lot about the chemistry of this program.

It looked to be an exciting chase too, because, Upland (11-3), Etiwanda (10-3), Chino Hills (9-2), Rancho Cucamonga (9-5) and Los Osos (8-3) all looked ready and capable to slug it out with each other.

Every member of this 2020 unit seemed to take their game to the next level, but perhaps none more than senior captain Miranda Robson, who played the role of ace and hit third in Randall’s lineup.

The four-year varsity player hit .512, which was 203 points higher than she had in either 2017, 2018 or 2019, and her 21 hits was already four better than last season, where the Grizzlies got to compete in double the number of games they did in 2020.

Offensively, amongst her teammates, Robson was first in hits (21), runs scored (14) and RBIs (13).

She was tied for first in doubles (6) with Erin West.

Her two triples matched that of Danielle Martinez and Madison Randall.

And Robson’s three home runs led the way with Gabriella Olivarez.

She was second in average (.542) to Erin West, who hit .542.

And third in on-base percentage (.524), behind Danielle Martinez (.630) and Erin West (.560).

As an old-school baseball player, there is no stat this writer appreciates more than the fact that in 41 at-bats, Robson struck out just one time.

And she didn’t just contribute with her bat.

In the circle, Robson was one of three Baseline League pitchers that set the pace for the entire San Gabriel Valley area.

Chino Hills’ Kendall Mangel, Etiwanda’s Casey Fazzini and Robson had seven victories apiece to lead the way.

In her first three years at Los Osos, she was a little under the 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio mark.

This year, Robson boasted a 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, walking 14 and striking out 60.

Her strikeout total from 2020 (in 11 games) was 29 better than in 2018, and she averaged a strikeout per inning.

Robson, though, would be the first to tell you that she was just one of many contributors to the massive turnaround.

Los Osos upped their team batting average to .391 this season, which was 130 points higher than last year, and its 4.09 team ERA was down from 6.95 in 2019.

As mentioned, Erin West, Danielle Martinez, Madison Randall and Gabriella Olivarez were near the top of every offensive category and Robson gave us her thoughts on each.

Said Robson: “Erin is one of the best people I know. She’s always positive and we needed that. Her bat was great, she kept hitting gaps and was clutch. Danielle was our other pitcher, but she also contributed with her bat. She kept racking up hits and was so valuable in our lineup. Gabby and I were in a friendly competition to see who could hit the most home runs and ended up tying, but she’s got the biggest bat on the team. And lastly, Madison isn’t very talkative at first, but she’s a great person, she’s clutch and willing to do anything she can to help our team win games.”

Robson has played travel ball for six years, including the last two for the OC Batbusters.

Her time playing for and learning from coaches Clay Lara Chris Portesi, Kim Johnston, Dawn Casteneda and Eric Arreloa has been invaluable.

“They teach us qualities and ways to go about things that translate off the field and will serve as life lessons going forward. They’ve had so much success sending girls to Division 1 & 2 schools and are incredibly positive and supportive people.”

Robson also loves and appreciates her coaches at Los Osos, including Mike Randall, Tom Masucci and David Smith.

“Each of our coaches contributed in so many ways to help us get better individually and as a team and that’s one of the many reasons we were so heartbroken to see our season end prematurely,” Robson said. “Of all the things I miss, it’s spending time with the girls that I miss the most. Our chemistry was so good this year and I think it played a big role in our success.”

During the forced quarantine, Robson still sets her alarm for 9 a.m. so that each day is productive, and that includes cardio on their new treadmill and pitching into a net in the backyard.

She passes her free time playing Fortnite and watching ‘romantic’ movies and TV shows on Netflix, and Robson admitted she’s one of the very few that hasn’t seen ‘Tiger King’ yet.

Her work ethic doesn’t drop off a bit once she leaves the softball field.

In fact, she had a 4.0 grade-point average and will compete for Cal State East Bay in Hayward.

Robson said she felt right at home on her first visit to the school and already loves her coaches.

She will major in health sciences and would like a career in nursing once her school and playing days are over.

Robson said there are many people who have contributed in her life and that mean the world to her, but the impact of her mom, DawnRobson, tops the list.

Dawn raised Miranda’s brothers Matt, 24, and 13-year old Devon, and herself, to be the best people and students possible, and to work for everything they want in life.

“She’s my biggest fan,” Robson said. “She’s been at 99-percent of my games, sacrifices everything for my brothers and me and is our support system in the best and worst of times. We love and appreciate her very much.”

And the love doesn’t stop there.

Coach Randall said Dawn’s efforts as the team’s booster club president have been remarkable, but the thing they appreciate most is that when Mrs. Robson photograph’s the games, unlike many parents (at any school or level), she takes and shares as many pictures of Miranda’s teammates as she does of her own daughter.

So, while the 2020 season was sadly cut short, her work ethic, skills, character and diligence will allow Robson to continue her career at the collegiate level.

Lastly, in the quotable section, we asked head coach Mike Randall his thoughts on why the program and Robson made such dramatic improvements in 2020, and what kind of a player, person and teammate the 17-year old was at Los Osos.

Quotable:

Los Osos coach Mike Randall: “We sat the kids down and told them that five or six years ago, we battled the top teams and that our success had dropped off recently. We told the girls if you want to be successful, it would require their work. We reaffirmed as coaches that we were going to continue our work hard, but to their credit, these girls did more than their jobs and worked their butts off. They stepped up and knew what was expected of them everyday.

As sad as we all were, especially for the seniors, watching the underclassmen become so upset for the seniors was a very moving thing and spoke to our chemistry.

As far as Miranda’s success, she was always out there asking for extra reps. In the circle, we had her focus on first-pitch strikes and we trusted her so much, that we let her call her own pitches.

We changed the approach and Coach Tom Masucci did a great job working with the girls, especially during football season, when my time is spent there. There was no off time for them.

Mrs. Robson did a great job raising Miranda and was our team booster club president and she took photos and did so of all the players. Miranda carries herself very well, is a great teammate and student and Dawn deserves a lot of credit for the way Miranda turned out.”

Los Osos senior shortstop and future Lake Erie College player, Jordyn Long: “Miranda is a selfless player who does what’s best for the team consistently. She the type of teammate where when she steps on the field, you know she will give a 100 percent whether it was pitching, playing outfield or hitting. She was amazing to be a Co-Captain with. She is emotionally invested in the game and will always be there for her teammates. She made practice fun and would push everyone to get better every chance they could. Miranda was a person who really believed that softball was a team sport, I hit right in front of her and before every at-bat, she would look at me and say me and you. She was great at everything she did. Not only is she an amazing softball player, but an amazing person off the field, and Cal State East Bay is super lucky to have a player like Miranda.”

Los Osos junior third baseman Gabi Olivarez: “Miranda Robson is probably one of the most dedicated people I know. She is not only a stud on the field, but an amazing person off the field. Her performance inside the circle this year was nothing like I had ever seen before, as she was unstoppable. She never stopped there though. She hit her first homerun and then hit another two after . She is just an amazing person and teammate . She is definitely family to me. Playing against her is always so much fun. She definitely challenges me to be at my best at all times, just like I do to her. I am so happy to have her in my life as a teammate and a best friend!”

Miranda Robson Career Hitting Stats at Los Osos:

2017: .302, 13 hits, seven runs, five RBIs

2018: .241, seven hits, five runs, four RBIs

2019: .309, 17 hits, four runs, six RBIs

2020: .512, 21 hits, 14 runs, 13 RBIs, six doubles, two triples, three home runs

Miranda Robson Career Pitching Stats at Los Osos:

2017: 1-6, 5.53 ERA, 16 walks, 25 strikeouts

2018: 4.55 ERA, 13 walks, 19 strikeouts

2019: 2-8, 8.07 ERA, 18 walks, 31 strikeouts

2020: 7-3, 3.48 ERA, 14 walks, 60 strikeouts

Los Osos Record:

2017: 6-16 overall, 2-8 in league

2018: 8-14, 3-7

2019: 3-16, 0-10

2020: 8-3

To view Miranda’s photo gallery, click on the Facebook link here: (1) Facebook