By Bill Sheehan

As a first-year starter on Cal State Fullerton's softball team, Alexia Lopez excelled at the plate last year, batting .357 and driving in 29 runs. One goal eluded her, though.

"I was hitting well, but I didn't have any home runs. Coming into this season, I just wanted one so badly," said Lopez, a senior catcher who at 5-foot-5 is undersized for the position.  

She broke though in February, smashing a go-head, two-run homer in an 8-5 win against Rutgers at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City. But Lopez didn't stop there. She has slugged seven more home runs, tying for the lead among Fullerton hitters. In fact, she ranks among the team leaders in most offensive categories.

"Ever since she hit that first home run, it's almost like the dam broke. They are all coming out now," said Titans head coach Gina Oaks Garcia, whose team leads the Big West by three games with six remaining.

Lopez's most valuable contribution to the team, however, might be her work behind the plate. She calls pitches – unusual for a collegiate catcher – and has played errorless ball with 26 assists. Lopez, who is called Lex by family and friends, has guided the Titans' three top pitchers to a combined 2.88 ERA.

"Some opposing coaches have remarked, 'You're letting your catcher call the game.' I told them that catchers have the best seat in the house. They know what spins are coming and can evaluate the breaks," said Oaks Garcia. "Lex studies all the scouting reports. The pitchers know that and trust her."
 

The Titans, who are 32-12 overall and 19-2 in Big West play, will face Long Beach State (27-17, 15-6) this weekend in a three-game series at Anderson Family Field. The series opens Friday at 6 p.m. A doubleheader will be held Saturday, starting at 1 p.m. Senior Day ceremonies will be held after the nightcap.  

Oaks Garcia, who also is the team's pitching coach, said it will be business as usual for her team despite the often-intense rivalry between the two schools. "Our mentality is to be consistent with our routines and weekly training. We cannot get too high or too low."  

The Titans are a reflection of their coach, said Lopez. "She can be stern at times, bringing out the 'mom mode.' But she can also be super fun and light. That's how our team is."

In her freshman and sophomore years, Fullerton played in the NCAA Regional at Clemson and Stanford, respectively. "The NCAA playoffs are the best part of college softball. They are just so exciting, and the atmosphere is completely different," said Lopez, whose hometown is Eastvale in Riverside County.

"We all have a common goal – to go to the post-season and make it to Oklahoma City. That comes from being on the same page. A lot of our success has come from playing not as individuals but as a team. We have good chemistry, work hard during practices and have lots of talent on this team. We are all doing what we need to do every single day."

Lopez is having her best year offensively. In addition to her eight homers, she is hitting .398 with a team-leading 42 RBI. She has 10 doubles, 25 runs, a .428 on-base percentage and a .680 slugging percentage. Lopez was moved up to number 3 in the lineup after starting the year as the number eight hitter.

Multiple theories have been offered to explain Lopez's home-run surge. "I like batting third. Hitting behind Sarah Perez and Colby McClinton is awesome because they are always getting on base, which gives me better pitches," said Lopez.
 

Her father, Armando, coached Lopez in recreation league, travel ball and high school and still works with his daughter on her swing. He knew of her yearning to hit a home run.

"I didn't see anything wrong with her mechanics, but I suggested she drop down to a 33-inch bat from 34 inches. That may have helped. Lex has learned how to adjust in the box and is seeing the ball really well."

Oaks Garcia, who is in her second year guiding Fullerton, said she always knew Lopez had power. "She was reaching the gaps and hitting home runs in practice, yet it didn't translate into games. But I thought the power would eventually surface. Lex is hitting for average and power now, but she can also play small ball when needed."

On the defensive side, Lopez said pitch-calling has been a labor of love.

She credits former Fullerton assistant coach Jenny Topping, who is now at Oregon State, for initially bringing up the idea. "She told Coach G, 'I think Lex can call pitches.' At my exit meeting last season, Coach G said she would be willing to develop my pitch-calling abilities."

"Learning from Coach G has really upped my game. We study scouting reports on every single player. After each inning, Coach G and I evaluate the opposing lineup. Usually, we are on the same wavelength."

Lopez calls Titans pitchers Trisha McCleskey (14-8, 2.70 ERA), Leanna Garcia (6-0, 2.64) and Eva Hurtado (12-4, 3.30) the hardest workers on the team. "All three have so much knowledge of the game. They have been giving me tons of feedback and have been open to different calls."

"I have full confidence in each of them. There is an intimidating aura about them. Trisha is always in the zone. She looks like she is going to throw a strike on every single pitch. Eva's velocity is up, and her movement is insane. To see her growth is amazing. Leanna has come back from a knee injury. She is throwing hard, and her changeup is looking sharp."

Lopez has a strong connection with the pitchers," said Garcia, a redshirt junior left-hander from San Marcos. "We all trust Lex to get the job done. She is a big reason we have succeeded as pitchers and as team. She is very quick around the plate and has a strong arm. And she is always talking and getting us energized."

"As a captain, she sets a very high standard and like to make sure we uphold that standard. And our team members know they can go to her if they have an issue or a problem or just need some advice."

The 21-year-old Lopez, who has U.S.-Mexican dual citizenship, joined the Mexican women's national softball team after her freshman year. Jorge Arajuo, Fullerton's associate head coach, guides the Mexican program.

Lopez has played in several international softball competitions. She earned a bronze medal with Mexico at the Central American Games in San Salvador in 2023. The team had fourth-place finishes at the Pan-Am Games in Santiago, Chile, in 2023 and in Monteria, Colombia, in 2025. Lopez went home with a gold medal after Mexico won the Puerto Rico Tournament Challenge last December.  

"It's been a real game changer playing on one of the top international teams in the world," said Lopez. "I'm playing for an entire country. It's been one of the most rewarding things possible."

Lopez started in softball as a 5-year-old in a recreation league. "I didn't envision Lex as a catcher because of her small size," said her father. "One day when I arrived at a game, I got nervous because I couldn't see Lex on the field. Her coach had her playing catcher. He told me, 'She is the most athletic player on the team.' "

"I absolutely fell in love with [catching]," said Lopez. "It forced me to lock into the game. There was no time to space out."
 

At 9 years old, she began training with Jen Schro, an Anaheim-based catching guru who conducts workshops across the country. Lopez now works at Schro's retreats in the summer. "Jen has changed so many lives, including mine. I was a shy kid. Shy catchers don't make sense. Working with her helped me build confidence and believe in myself. I give her tons of credit."

A year later, Lopez joined the Firecrackers Brashear travel team. She played in the program for her entire travel ball career. At Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Eastvale, Lopez played four years of varsity softball and two years of water polo.

She earned First Team All-Big VIII Conference softball honors and was named Roosevelt's Defensive Player of the Year. But her most memorable achievement was helping propel Roosevelt to its first-ever CIF softball championship in her senior year.

Down to its last at-bat, Roosevelt scored three runs to defeat Los Alamitos High, 5-4, in the 2022 CIF Division 1 finale, which was held in Irvine. "It was awesome. We had an amazing comeback. It might be the highlight of my softball career."
 

Lopez's understanding of softball has been a big factor in her success, said Armando, her father. "She has a high softball IQ and grasps the game so well. Most catchers are the leaders of their team, and that has been true for Lex," he said.

Her father served in the Army and now works as a lieutenant in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. He played baseball in high school and community college, and he later competed for a semi-pro team in Mexico. Lopez's mother, Karla, is a homemaker and former restaurant manager.

Karina, Lopez's younger sister, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia as a 4-year-old but responded well to treatment. The 14-year-old attends middle school and is a cheerleader. She also plays the trumpet and sings in a choir. 

"It was really a tough time at first, when Karina was hospitalized for two years," said Lopez. "We have a super-mom. She stayed positive through everything and continues to send us inspirational notes. She tells me to go out and have fun on the softball field. My dad is more of a critic," she said, laughing.
 

Lopez will receive a criminal justice degree in May and plans to earn a certificate in criminal intelligence analysis at Fullerton this fall. She would like to pursue a career in the criminology field.  

She isn't quite ready to hang up the cleats. She will play for the Mexican national team this summer and plans to compete in a professional softball league in Mexico next spring.

Lopez and her sister both began playing piano during the pandemic. "My dad plays by ear, but my sister and I can read music," she said. Lopez enjoys joining teammates in karaoke sessions, whether it's in the locker room or on a bus heading to a game. She also likes spending time with Titans players, visiting malls and hanging out at the beach.

Fullerton has been a perfect fit, Lopez said. "I was uncomfortable going too far away from my family. They sacrificed so much for me – I wanted to be at a college where they could see me play."

"I've had some highs and lows. I didn't play much my first two years. But I wanted to leave a legacy for my family and make it a place where I could bring my own kids someday. I thank God every day for my teammates and the people in my corner who love and trust me."

The party anthem "La Vaca" is Lopez's walkup song this season. "I did this for my grandpa and my family. At parties, it gets everyone crazy. My grandma always reminds me to play con ganas, which means with great passion. I have it embroidered on my glove."

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