Karen Quincy Loberg / Star staff Sam Fischer was a big reason Simi Valley came close to a perfect season, finishing a remarkable 30-1.

Rudy Gonzalez never forgets the regulars.

Gonzalez can detail their swings, recount their demeanors and vouch for their dedication.

Over the last few years, one girl has captured his attention when she arrives at the Simi Valley Batting Cages in the afternoon.

Nearly four times a week, Sam Fischer pays $5 for four tokens, heads to the 75 mph cage and takes 125 cuts with a focus as driven as the balls flying off her bat.

"I have been here 18 years and seen a lot of kids hit the ball, and she stands out to me," said Gonzalez, the owner of the cages. "She is very, very talented."

From the power of her bat to her prowess in the field, Fischer's talents were on full display this season in helping lead the Simi Valley High softball team to near perfection.

The Pioneers suffered their only loss in the CIF-Southern Section Division I championship game, and Fischer, The Star's Softball Player of the Year, was a major component in the run of success.

The 5-foot-10 senior shortstop batted .471 with 32 RBIs, 30 runs scored and a county-leading 11 home runs.

"She was definitely a threat every time she made her plate appearances," Simi Valley coach Russ Michael said. "Not only the coaches, but the players had extreme confidence in her offensive ability. We knew if they pitched to Sam, we would score one way or another."

Fischer felt comfortable with a bat in her hand from age 5, when she started playing softball in the backyard with her dad.

The hours spent fielding ground balls, swinging off the tee or just playing catch engendered a deep love for the sport that never waned.

"It is like my whole life and my passion," Fischer said. "Softball is the one thing I can go to and just forget everything else and be happy."

But the instant attraction didn't translate into immediate success.

During the early years of youth softball, Fischer was stuck at the bottom of the lineup and passed over for All-Star teams.

Instead of sending her confidence spiraling, the setbacks sent her back into the backyard for more practice.

"I don't think she ever once said I don't want to do extra work," her father, Rick, said. "People would tell me playing so much would burn her out, but she never wants to stop playing."

Fischer's strong will was evident early in life. She put her mother, Debbie, through nearly 20 hours of labor before the doctor decided to perform a Cesarean section.

"She came into this world the same way she's living her life — just fighting it out," her mother said with a laugh.

A competitor between the lines, Fischer is a "complete goofball" outside of them. Her goal is to make others crack a smile and was the kid who came home with "excessive talking in class" noted on her report card.

"I like to have a light mood, and don't want it to be all serious until it has to be serious," Fischer said. "I am the type if one my friends is upset, I am going to cry with them and then try to make them turn the crying into laughing uncontrollably."

Fischer has signed to play at Loyola Marymount University, and considers the pairing fate. LMU coach Gary Ferrin saw Fischer hitting home runs during a pre-tournament workout camp in Arizona two years ago, and showed up the following day at the wrong park, where Fischer's team just happened to be playing.

"It was like trying on a prom dress and knowing that is the dress you are going to wear," Fischer said of her campus visit. "It was like my dream school and I knew it."

Fischer hopes to become the first member of her family to graduate from a four-year university. But before starting college, she plans to spend her summer at the fields and making a few more trips to the cage.

"I seriously will never stop playing," she said. "Maybe when I am 300 and can't physically make it out there, but that is about it."