Mia Gutierrez named PCFL Co-Player of the Month for September

The Pacific Coast Fastpitch League (PCFL) is excited to spotlight Mia Gutierrez as the September Co-Senior Player of the Month. Gutierrez is an infielder for AZ Steel.

Gutierrez showed up strong to the plate with a batting average of .522 from 23 at bats. The 2025 had a OBP of .656 and a stunning SLG percentage at .609.

Softball Story (How did you get started? Tell us about you-

I’ve been playing softball since I was about three years old. My mom is the one that got me into the sport and my whole family is all about sports, so it was embedded into my head that I was a softball player from day one. I didn’t start getting serious about it until I was about seven, and that’s when I decided to join a local club team. I played with them for about 2 years, and then when I was nine I decided to transition to a more competitive team and joined AZ Steel. Coach Rene was unlike any other coach I’ve had, and the day I joined this team is the day I truly started to grow as a player. Since I was little I was always playing up, and I was always the youngest on the team. I thought I was at such a disadvantage being younger than my teammates, but I used my youth as an incentive for me to work harder than the rest. Being the youngest made me always want to prove to everyone that I belonged with the older girls. I matured very quickly and not just persona wise but also on the field. I wanted to work and grow to make myself known. Us as softball players don’t have a normal childhood. I can assure you that my friends at school, at age 10, weren’t thinking about college, and where they wanted to go, what they wanted to major in, or what team they dreamed of committing to, but that’s all I thought about. I was constantly wanting to get better and become smarter in the game so that one day I could play in college. I noticed that I was hitting the ball farther, not making as many errors on the field, and I was getting better. Due to this I stated to gain confidence in my abilities as an athlete. I craved feeling of mastering something and working for something greater than yourself, working for not just you but the people with you on the field. I fell in love with the sport and ever since then I’ve been determined to get a scholarship. I’m so very fortunate to be blessed with the coaches and teammates I’ve had along the way. They’ve shaped me into the player I am and I wouldn’t be where I am today without any of them.

Favorite Softball memory-

My all time favorite softball moment is from when I was 12 and my team was playing in the 14u gold bracket at the Colorado Sparkler. It was elimination day and we had won our first game but lost our second. That had us going into the loser’s bracket and playing 5 more games that day. I remember how intimidated I was looking at the bracket and the long day we had ahead of us. We had made it to the 7th game that day and I couldn’t put it into words how exhausted all of us were. We were playing the Killer Bees it was tied up 4-4 in the 9th inning and we were home team. I was first up to bat, starting me off with a runner on second. I got a base hit and the runner got to third. I ended up stealing second and my teammate Jissele came up to bat. I had a feeling that we weren’t going to go back onto the field, and that this was going to be where we won. I didn’t want to jinx it so I silenced my mind and focused on being ready to run. The pitch comes in and Jissele hits a shot in the left center gap and my teammate on third came running into home. I’ve never been so happy and so tired in my life. We all ran over to Jissele and jumped on her as if we won the whole tournament and we’re champions, but to us that long day made us feel like champions. I would do anything to go back and feel that immense pride I had for how hard my team worked that day and for Jissele coming through under pressure. We all got ice cream after on Coach Rene and then crashed out in the car on the way back to the hotel. To this day that has been the most satisfying win I’ve experienced. That’s 100% my all time favorite moment so far in my career

What are some of your current goals – both on and off the field? (Softball, school, other athletics, related, etc. all welcomed!)

My goal this year is getting above a 4.0 for my whole sophomore year. And another big goal for me is to get to as many camps and visit as many campuses as I can, to get a feel for the school and area.

Coaches Feedback

It is an honor to continue to coach an athlete, that is as dedicated as Mia is,” said coach Rene Figueroa

What is the Alliance Fastpitch Player Recognition Program?

The Player Recognition Program was built to recognize and spotlight our individual players in each Member League. Each month, registered Alliance Fastpitch coaches can nominate a player from their age division. League Leadership will review nominations and a monthly stats report from AthletesGoLive (AGL) to determine the League’s Player of the Month.

Following the announcement of each League’s Players of the Month, the Alliance Fastpitch will recognize a National Player of the Month.

To be considered for Player of the Month, your team must score League games in AGL so your stats will be included in the League’s monthly report.