Long Beach State University Athletics
Tautalafua Homers Her Way Into Long Beach State History
4/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Long Beach, Calif. -
"Watch as she hits another one out," says a fan behind me as I had the opportunity to take in Long Beach State's softball series at UC Davis. Senior Darian Tautalafua steps into the batter's box in the final game of the series. It's the second half of a doubleheader in which the starting third baseman for the 49ers has already given the Beach a 1-0 lead on a solo home run in the fourth inning, following a pair of two-run blasts in the first game of the doubleheader.
And sure enough, the senior comes through once more, turning on a 2-2 pitch from the Aggies hurler. It is Tautalafua's fourth home run of the day, extending once the home run record for Long Beach State, left long behind her as she appropriately hits her 49th home run of a stellar career to cap off a second straight series victory in conference play for Long Beach State.
Clutch performances and power hitting have become the hallmark for Tautalafua in her four years at Long Beach State. A major part of the team's Big West Championship in 2014, Tautalafua once again has Long Beach State on the cusp of reaching the NCAA postseason, leading Long Beach State in the triple crown categories of batting average, home runs and RBI in 2016.
FAMILY MATTERS
A native of Carson, Calif., Tautalafua credits her family for getting her started in softball. With her father and grandmother both lifelong devotees of baseball, Darian as well as her two brothers and younger sister Brianna all started playing either baseball of softball at a young age.
Part of a close family, it was that bond that helped push her both into success and enjoyment of the game. "I think I really started to like it when my sister started playing too," said Tautalafua. "We played together and I thought it was really fun having her around. And it was nice competing against her too," she noted with a grin.
Continuing, Tautalafua said, "We're better at different things so we really helped each other out. She has a really good glove, a great fielder, and I was a more natural hitter."
Tautalafua came on Long Beach State's radar after her sophomore year of high school. "There was no doubt that she was already a phenomenal hitter, so we knew right away that we wanted to make an offer," said LBSU head coach Kim Sowder.
Playing at Carson High School, Tautalafua would tie the state record with 53 career home runs, and ultimately decided to stay close to home and join the program at Long Beach State.
With the Beach, she immediately slotted into starting lineup, starting 54 games as a freshman hitting .288 with 13 HR, 46 RBI and earning Freshman Player of the Year and 1st Team All-Big West honors.
The soft-spoken Tautalafua settles into a comfort when addressing her approach at the plate. "I have a swing that does allow me naturally hit for power, but I think the mental part of the game is very important. Which pitches to hit, which to let go, what to do at different parts of the count."
Credit for that swing and approach in her mind goes to her former hitting coach, Norm Perez, as well as her father David. Often, Darian and her father will talk about the specifics of her games, even as he gets busier watching more and more games of the active Tautalafua family.
Laughing at the memory, Darian notes "He'll bring up softball out of nowhere too. Sitting on the couch, he'll say ‘Why did you let that pitch go in that one at-bat, it was right down the middle!' I have nothing to say but ‘I know Dad, I remember.'"
"I like that he's so involved, and it's fun now that I'm older, I really see where he's coming from when I'm watching my sister play." Brianna continued in her sister's path in softball to play in Division I, but opted to head north from Carson instead of south, and is in her freshman season at UCLA.
While spending many seasons together on the same field, the Tautalafua sisters finally found each other in opposite dugouts this season at Long Beach State's home tournament, the Louisville Slugger Invitational when the 49ers hosted the Bruins on March 13.
"We'd never ever played against each other, so it was weird," said Darian. "We were making jokes at each other on the bases, since she plays first base and I play third."
SETTLING IN
After that first season at the Beach, Tautalafua had a little bit of a sophomore slump but hit 13 more home runs that season, and ultimately broke the career Long Beach State home run record as a junior with a full season to play.
That mark was the first of four likely to fall for the senior, who also owns the career RBI and walks records for the Beach, and is closing in on scoring the most runs. Having played in every game in her career at Long Beach State and starting all but two, her presence at the heart of the lineup has been crucial to the success of the Beach in the last four seasons.
"She's a phenomenal player," said Sowder. "Defensively at third base, she's done a great job, and her offensive numbers speak for themselves. The team really learns a lot from how she goes about playing the game; her confidence, the way she carries herself, the way she performs. The bigger the situation, the better the pitching, Darian seems to get better."
While her productivity is staggering, Sowder maintains that Tautalafua's presence to the team means so much more.
"She's done so much for our program, both as a player and a person," said Sowder. "She was really grateful for the opportunity to play here, is so humble, and is a great teammate. She brings a lot of confidence to our offense, and makes hitters around her better." When pressed on what her success means to her, Tautalafua remarked, "I don't really think about it too much right now, since we're still playing, but I know that looking back on it will be pretty cool."
Turning the attention away from herself, she instead puts together a reminder for her teammates to "Just enjoy it all, not too many people get this opportunity. Take advantage of it and have fun. Sometimes you can forget that when you get so busy."
OVER THE FENCE
With only a short time left in the season, Tautalafua, like most Division I student-athletes, now has to ponder what's next. "There's no doubt in my mind that if she wants to continue to play softball she can pursue it professionally," said Sowder.
Unsurprisingly, thoughts for Tautalafua turn to her family and home upon her December 2016 graduation. A possibility of playing international softball for American Somoa is a tantalizing possibility, even though she's never been able to visit the country. "Everyone in my family has gone, except for me," Tautalafua sighed. "I was always the one who had to stay back, usually because I had softball over the weekend. I really want to go. I have a lot of family out there that I've never met."
Other possibilities for Darian include a move into coaching, or a return to Carson to work for the city that means so much to her.
Regardless of the path she chooses, her legacy in two ways is complete. "Everybody loves Darian, she has a big heart," said Sowder. "She loves her teammates and loves the game, and it's contagious." And as for the records? "She's the best power hitter this program has ever had, and one of the best the conference has ever seen," said Sowder.
