« Softball 2012

Valerie Arioto

School
California
Position
Pitcher/First Base
Major
American Studies
AVG
.396
R
56
H
44
FLD%
.988
ERA
1.29
W-L
19-2
RBI
55

Classroom

Arioto completed all of her degree requirements a semester early, enjoying graduation exercises in December. Arioto is majoring in American Studies with an emphasis in social and cultural history of technology and entertainment with a cumulative GPA of 2.52. Arioto was the Student-Athlete of the Month for January 2012 and is considering a career in the media, event planning or marketing.

Character

On the second day of spring practice of her true senior year, Arioto broke her leg sliding into second base and sat out the entire season. Though she could not play, that did not stop Arioto from participating. All the while rehabbing her leg, Arioto attended every practice and every road trip. Though at first the injury was devastating, Arioto found ways to contribute whether it was a piece of advice to a fellow pitcher, lending her voice to a cheer or even something as simple as a high five, Arioto was there for her teammates. Following the conclusion of one of the most epic seasons in Cal softball, Arioto headed straight for tryouts with the U.S. senior national team. Despite not having played softball in six months, Arioto successfully made the team and played all summer with the USA.

Community

Arioto has played an integral role in the team’s adopting of a little girl, Bebe, with pediatric cancer through the Friends of Jaclyn. The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation (FOJ) is a non-profit, charitable organization that improves the quality of life for children with pediatric brain tumors and their families. Arioto and her teammates have had Bebe out to games and recently threw her and her family a holiday party. Arioto has also volunteered her time at Special Olympics softball clinics, serving lunches to the homeless of San Francisco, sponsoring local families every Christmas and participated in multiple 5Ks in honor of former Cal student-athlete Jill Costello, who passed away from lung cancer at the age of 22.

Competition

As a junior in 2010, Arioto was named a first team All-American and placed on the All-Pac-10 first team. In 2010, she was fourth in the Pac-10 and 31st in the nation with 19 homers and second in the nation and first in the conference with 81 walks. Additionally, her .819 slugging percentage place her first on the Cal team, second in the Pac-10 and 11th in the country. Arioto paced the Bears in walks (81), homers (19) and runs (61). She also went 21-9 in the circle with a 1.43 ERA in 205.2 innings of work, allowing her batters to hit just .169. As a sophomore in 2009, she was a second team Eason All-American, third team NFCA All-American and first-team All-Pac-10 and All-Pacific Region selection. She was the second-leading hitter on the team, posting a .325 average with a .425 on-base percentage. As a freshman in 2008, she made the All-Pac-10 second team and NFCA All-Pacific Region second-team selection.