April 9, 2008
Tricia Aggabao has had to learn a new position during her senior year. She played second base for her first three-years at Stanford, before her coach asked her to move to left field for this season. She was able to receive an All-Pac 10 honorable mention selection at second base two-years ago.
Aggabao started her softball career at Bishop Amat Memorial High School, in La Puente, California. She was a four-year letter winner and was the captain of her team during her junior and senior years. She was a two-time first-team All- Del Rey League selection and was named the team's best defensive player twice. She also was named a four-time CIF honorable mention.
She was a four-time winner of the Lady Lancer Award. And she was the 2004 Outstanding Athlete of the Year.
"It was a lot of fun," said Aggabao. "I got to play with all my friends from high school. And my coaching staff helped me out a lot on the academic side and the athletic side."
She did not compete in any other sports in high school.
During the recruited process, she said she only had a few offers to choose from. She said she received scholarship offers from Illinois, Northwestern, and Stanford. She said her decision came down to Northwestern and Stanford. She would choose to continue her education and softball career at Stanford.
"Well, both Northwestern and Stanford are good academic schools," said Aggabao. "And are highly competitive. But I definitely enjoyed my time here at Stanford when I visited. And being closer to home was also another factor. And I really enjoyed meeting the girls and coaching staff, so it was a pretty easy decision in the end."
As a freshman, she appeared in 59 games, with all 59 games coming in the starting lineup. She had a .229 batting average, with 33 hits and 20 runs scored. She also had two doubles, two triples, and tied for fifth on the team, with 23 RBI's. She had 9 multi-hit games, 6 multi RBI games, and opened her college career with a three RBI game against Santa Clara.
"It was very exciting," said Aggabao of her 59 starts. "It was definitely a new experience. The Pac 10 (Conference) is a highly competitive Conference, so there was a little pressure there. But it was a lot of fun. I definitely looked up to a lot of the girls on the team, who been through the process, that helped me out, too."
As a sophomore, she appeared in 49 games, with 44 games coming in the starting lineup at second base. She had a .317 batting average, one of five players to hit above .300, 18 runs, 9 RBI's, and 33 hits. She had two doubles and was third on the team with two doubles. She had a .388 slugging percentage and 4 stolen bases both ranking third on the team, while she had 9 multi-hit games and two multi RBI games.
"Tricia Aggabao was a leader in our infield for 3-years," said Stanford softball coach John Rittman of Aggabao's 44 starts at second base. "She's a great communicator, and she's somebody who understands the game. She's got great instincts."
Last year, as a junior, she appeared in 57 games, with all 57 games coming in the starting lineup at second base. She had a .313 batting average, one of three players to hit above .300, 47 hits, third-most on the team, and scored 21 runs. She had 12 multi-hit games, four multi RBI games, and five stolen bases, ranked second on the team. She had a season-long 7-game hit streak, and was named All-Pac 10 honorable mention.
"Last year, Tricia stepped up with the bat," said Coach Rittman of her All-Pac 10 honorable mention selection. "And finished the season off strong offensively for us. I think all the coaches in the Conference understands that she's a great defensive player. And I think her ability to step up and hit for an average last year really helped her and our team."
This season, as a senior, she has appeared in 38 games, with all 38 games coming in the starting lineup. She has a .311 batting average in 106 at-bats, with 33 hits, including 8 doubles, 1 home run, 13 RBI's, and 44 total bases. She had a .415 slugging percentage and has scored 35 runs. She has been walked 21 times and struck out 15 times.
"Individually, we all set goals," said Aggabao. "And one of my goals is to be a vocal leader on the team and to make sure that every one is on the same page, as we all work together for the same goal. So, that's one individual goal that I have. And, also, it's my last year, it's always important to have fun when we're out there playing. That's another goal of mine."
She is majoring in human biology at Stanford. She said she choose that major, because she definitely knew that she wanted to get into the medicine field. And, she said, human biology was a great major, in that, it was very disciplinary in that I would get to take classes in a lot of other areas, but still pertaining to my area of concentration, which is biology and the human experience. So, she said, human biology was the best fit for me and my academic goals.
After she graduates, she plans on taking a year off. After the year away from school, she attends to apply to go to medical school to pursue a career in pediatric oncology. She said medical school will take about 4-years to complete, then she will have to go through another 4-years of additional schooling to complete her residency program. She said she would like to go to Stanford's medical school, but it's a very competitive school.
"She's going to do well after graduation," said Coach Rittman. "She works extremely hard in the classroom. And she has a great personality that will help her do great in the remainder of her life. With her leadership skills, I see her accomplishing a lot after graduation."