El Rancho softball coach Stephanie Senteno-Tapia knew an impact freshman was joining her team this season, the type of player who can immediately — and in the future — boost a program.

Malaya Vargas has done just that for the Dons. The freshman third baseman is batting .455 with eight home runs, and her 45 RBIs lead the CIF Southern Section.

The Dons have not had a winning season since 2016, but are 11-7-1 overall and 3-3 in the Del Rio League.

El Rancho visits Santa Fe (8-10, 2-4) today at 3:15 p.m. El Rancho beat Santa Fe 13-3 in their first meeting. A win today would all but guarantee the Dons finish at least third in league and make the CIF-SS playoffs for the first time since 2022.

The Dons returned one of the area’s best players in senior shortstop Lesly Valdez, a Cal State Fullerton commit. But the addition of Vargas, along with three other freshman players, has Senteno-Tapia excited about her team’s outlook.

Freshman Delilah Gonzalez has been a big contributor, leading the team in batting with a .538 average to go with three home runs, nine doubles and 15 RBIs.

But nobody has been knocking in runs like Vargas, and having success against heavyweights like La Serna and California in the Del Rio League is no easy task.

“She’s a force to be reckoned with,” Senteno-Tapia said of Vargas. “She was expected to come in right away and have an impact, but it’s still incredible to watch. But what I love about her is she’s humble, she works hard and she puts in the work.”

The work ethic was one of the first things her coach noticed.

“After practice, she is working on hitting with her dad and helping some of the other kids,” Senteno-Tapia said of Vargas. “You don’t see that extra effort all the time. In this day and age, when practice ends, kids have other things to do. But she shows a lot of maturity. She has a strong work ethic. You can see the desire is there to get to the next level and play in college.”

El Rancho’s biggest win came March 17 against La Serna, 6-5. Vargas had a double and two RBIs in the victory.

La Serna reached the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs last season. Defending league champion California advanced to the Division 2 championship game.

But the Dons have narrowed the talent gap, as players like Vargas and Gonzalez chose to stay at their neighborhood school.

“It’s great to see,” Senteno-Tapia said. “Historically speaking at El Rancho, a lot of the good Pico Rivera kids tend to go to other schools. The fact that she (Vargas) and others are staying home is huge for us. I’m sure a lot of schools would love to have (Vargas). But she has a lot of pride playing for her hometown school and community. That says a lot about her.”

Vargas is a catcher on her travel team and will likely be a catcher in the Dons’ program in the years to come. But she’s a dynamic third baseman with a strong arm, her coach says, and can play anywhere.

She’s that versatile.

“Leslie is our shortstop, she’s going to Fullerton, but she was sick last week against Cal,” Senteno-Tapia said. “Malaya just hopped right in there and did what she does. She has so much confidence.”

El Rancho could be a dangerous playoff team. The CIF-SS will place teams in divisions at the end of the regular season based on computer rankings.

But whether this year or next, the future looks bright.

“Great things are happening at the school,” Senteno-Tapia said. “We have a new field on our way, new batting cages. It’s exciting to see for El Rancho.”