Hillary Perez-Ashley and Samantha Garcia of the Cerritos College softball team were honored by being part of the chosen few to enter the Lakewood Hall of Fame this past February.

Contrary to sophomore pitcher Perez-Ashley who shuts down offenses with her pitching within the circle, freshman centerfielder Garcia takes games over with her hitting within the batters box.

“Their both real good team players and leaders,” said Natalie Garcia, teammate of both Perez-Ashley and Garcia.

Last season with the Falcons, Perez-Ashley was a force to be reckoned with as she posted a record of 31-7 with one save and an ERA of 1.97.

In 242 innings pitched throughout her freshman season, she struck out 154 batters, while allowing a .232 batting average to the opposition when facing her.

“it’s an honor and it’s very exciting to be not only recognized by your school but also by your community,” Perez-Ashley said.

She had also started 40 of the 48 games in which she appeared in and tossed a complete game in 28 of them.

The Poly High graduate earned awards such as the Southern California Pitcher of the Year, Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-American, and was also selected as the South Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year.

“It’s a well-deserved honor based on all her achievements,” said Kodee Murray, head coach of the Falcons.”Hillary has worked hard both in the classroom and on the field. It really shows what kind of person she is.”

While Perez-Ashley earned her stripes for her freshman season with the Falcons, Samantha Garcia earned hers because of what she accomplished in her high school career.

In her softball career at St. Josephs High School, she earned All-CIF honors her senior year, an All-Del Rey League selection in her junior and senior year, and as a sophomore she earned the Coaches Award.

She was also voted as the teams Offensive Player of the Year twice and helped lead the team to a Del Rey League championship.

Still, Garcia was surprised that she was inducted into the Lakewood Hall of Fame, stating that winning the award was really unexpected.

“Samie is the type of player that does her job and does it well,” teammate Gabriella Villarreal said. “if she doesn’t do it her first time, she’ll get it done.”

This season, Perez-Ashley has a record of 17-1, while Garcia has a team leading batting average of .527 to help carry the Falcons to an overall season record of 22-4 and an South Coast Conference record of 8-1.

Both Perez-Ashley and Garcia were honored at an awards banquet in the Weingart Ballroom for the induction into the Lakewood Hall of Fame

To be eligible for the Hall of Fame the candidate must reside within the city of Lakewood or played a sports season within the city.