Midway through her junior season, Sydney Boulaphinh is putting up some monster numbers for Rock Canyon.
The Jaguars shortstop has smacked a total of 11 softballs over the fence through Sept. 22, which is equating to about one homer per every 4.9 plate appearances. Her 11 bombs in 14 games played is tied for the lead in all of Colorado with Ponderosa’ Olivia Trombley (18 games) and she’s well on pace to surpass last season’s state-high of 12, set by Lutheran’s Meredith Barnhart and Smoky Hill’s Amrajie Bass.
Boulaphinh believes that her success stems from both a rigid work ethic and a confident mindset. It also helps that she’s willing to work overtime.
“Not just practicing for high school but also practicing on my own (is important) and having the confidence that no one is better and that I’m a better hitter,” said Boulaphinh, who hit three home runs against Ralston Valley on Aug. 30.
Sixth-year Rock Canyon head coach Mike DeSimone would agree that Boulaphinh’s work ethic is intense, and part of the reason why she’s ranked as the No. 9 class of 2024 prospect in the country (per Extra Innings Softball).
“She’s a precocious player in terms of her knowledge of the game, she’s respectful of her teammates, she doesn’t big-time them, even though she probably could, and she continuously works hard at her game,” DeSimone said. “Her weightlifting and training regimen outside of just playing the game is amazing in and of itself.”
Cliché as it may sound, Boulaphinh’s goal at the plate of simply hitting the ball hard, yet still under control, remains a reliable approach.
Boulaphinh isn’t the first elite power hitter that DeSimone has coached, though. Colorado’s home run leader in 2020 was another Rock Canyon player, Katie Dack, who now plays at Texas A&M. As a senior, Dack was an important mentor for the then-freshman Boulaphinh.
“She (Dack) definitely helped me get through a lot of the mental game and being mature when stuff happens that doesn’t go your way,” Boulaphinh said.
Great hitters often have the ability to think with the pitcher and DeSimone said that Boulaphinh’s professional at-bats are another reason why she has separated herself.
“Syd takes it to another level because she’s so disciplined,” DeSimone said. “She just doesn’t swing at bad pitches. She recognizes what the other team is trying to accomplish in her at-bat and she won’t force herself into trying to do something. Her home runs this year, she hasn’t cheated on any of them. It’s been a good decision on a good pitch with a good swing, so that’s pretty unique as well.”
The statistics support DeSimone’s words and even reflect how opposing teams have learned to pitch carefully to her. After walking six times in 65 freshman plate appearances, Boulaphinh drew 21 walks in 99 sophomore PAs and now 54 PAs into this season, she has walked 23 times. But don’t let that distract from her state-high .621 batting average, 1.966 slugging percentage and .796 on-base percentage.
Her unselfish approach also parallels her attitude to the entire game.
“It definitely would be nice to break some records but at the end of the day, it’s more of a team effort we have going on,” Boulaphinh said.
Boulaphinh shared that it has been tough to fully be there for her 8-9 (4-0 5A Centennial) Jaguars while being a highly desired prospect. College coaches were allowed to contact her on Sept. 1 and she estimated that over 20 Division I schools have since reached out. In just a few weeks, she has already completed official visits to the University of Arizona and the University of Virginia, and she is scheduled to visit Ole Miss and Stanford.
“I’ve been waiting a long time for this,” she said. “I’m super excited to play with people that have the same goals… It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m excited for new opportunities to come.”