When Anastacia and Abreanna Alba last joined forces on the softball diamond, they led Watsonville High to a Central Coast Section championship.

That was four years ago. The sisters have since reunited at Cal State University Monterey Bay for one last season together — and as the top two hitters in the Otters’ lineup, they’re certainly making the most of it.

“I missed my sister when she was at Chico (State),” Abreanna said. “It was really hard on me. For us to be able to share a room (for a year) since she came here has been a breath of fresh air.

“I loved going to her games, loved seeing her play. She’s the best softball player I know.”

Anastacia, the older sister by two years, boasts a team-high batting average of .330. The senior third baseman, who typically hits at or near the top of CSUMB’s batting order, has also belted three home runs, bringing her total to five since transferring to Monterey Bay from Chico State following the 2023 season.

She swatted her most recent round-tripper on March 25, a first-inning solo shot in the Otters’ 3-2 nonconference triumph over Northwest Nazarene University of Idaho.

“I wouldn’t call myself a big home run hitter, so when they come, it’s awesome,” Anastacia said.

Abreanna, meanwhile, is keeping pace with her big sis, hitting .322 — good enough for second on the team. The sophomore center fielder, who has usually batted second or third in Cal State Monterey Bay’s lineup, also leads the Otters in hits (39) and runs scored (17), ranks second in RBI (19), and smacked her first triple of the season last Friday in CSUMB’s 13-3, six-inning nonconference loss to Western Washington, the 12th-ranked team in NCAA Division II.

While Anastacia hasn’t collected as many RBI as Abreanna — she boasts just 10 — she’s a big reason why her younger sister drives in runs as often as she does.

“Anastacia’s usually on base when Abreanna hits her in,” CSUMB coach Emily Montanez said.

Abreanna is quick to praise her elder sibling’s speed.

“If she hits a little shot to the shortstop, I know she’s going to beat it out,” the outfielder said. “She’s so crazy fast on the bases.”

Anastacia is likewise in awe of how quickly Abreanna has adjusted to hitting at the NCAA Division II level after just one season at Cabrillo College. Abreanna hit .367 with three home runs, three triples, 14 doubles, and a team-high 51 RBI as a freshman with the Seahawks.

“She’s super mature,” Anastacia said. “She’s able to let things go much quicker than the average player who’s her age or lower. It took me much longer to get into a comfortable head space when coming to bat.

“Obviously, she’s an incredible talent, but where your mind’s at is a big thing. When you’re not hitting that good, you’ve still got to go play the field. She has the ability to do that already.”

As stellar as the Alba sisters have been at the plate, they’ve been just as awesome on defense. Abreanna recalled watching Anastacia charge in and dive to catch a popped-up bunt attempt, then spring up and fire to second base to nab a runner and complete a jaw-dropping double play.

“It was insane to watch,” Abreanna said.

“She’s quick like a cat. She dives crazily to get every ball she can try to get, and when she does, it’s like, ‘How did she do that?’”

Montanez concurred.

“Anastacia’s like a wall at third base,” the CSUMB coach said. “She gets anything that comes her direction. She’s made some spectacular plays this year. I haven’t seen anyone with that type of reaction in a really long time.”

Montanez can say similar things about Abreanna’s play in center field.

“Abreanna covers a lot of ground,” Montanez said. “Her arm strength is also incredible — she can throw the ball a good distance.”

The Alba sisters aren’t the only athletes from Santa Cruz County who are excelling on the diamond for CSUMB this season — two Soquel graduates are as well. First baseman Nevaeh Martinez leads the Otters in both doubles (11) and RBI (27). The freshman has also crushed two home runs, including a two-run blast last Friday in Cal State Monterey Bay’s loss to Western Washington.

Junior right fielder Ellie Escalante, meanwhile, is hitting .231 and ranks among CSUMB’s leaders in both RBI (13) and runs scored (14).

Both Alba sisters are business majors. Whereas Anastacia is leaning toward a career in sales or marketing, Abreanna is considering a career in agriculture.

For now, though, they simply hope to enjoy their lone season together at the college level.

“I try not to think about it a lot because her graduation is going to be really hard,” Abreanna said. “I just want to savor every second of it.”