MONTEREY — Her numbers at the plate and in the circle speak volumes. Ella Myers’ competitive fire is contagious. Yet, one critical element was missing in her game.

Trust.

For the Monterey High sophomore pitcher to improve, she had to learn to depend on her teammates.

“Trusting my team was the biggest adjustment,” Myers said. “I used to feel like I had to strikeout every hitter. With this group, I could throw it over the plate and let my defense get the job done.”

Myers went on to fan 168 hitters over 125 innings this season, while tearing up opposing pitching at the plate with nine homers and a .421 average. She is The Herald’s Softball Player of the Year.

Adding that mental edge of confidence in her teammates enabled Meyers to unleash a variety of pitches at opponents, without the fear of consequences in the more rugged Gabilan Division of the Pacific Coast Athletic League.

“She’s our Monica Abbott,” said Monterey coach Michael Royster, referring to the former Olympic pitcher from North Salinas High. “The game is the total recipe. But it falls apart if you do not have a shutdown pitcher that can trust her defense.”

“I’m so proud of this team,” Myers said. “We really came together at the end of the year. There were no personal agendas, just a desire to win.”

Reflecting on Monterey’s final game of the season, a 5-4 loss in the CIF Northern California Division II quarterfinals to Bullard of Fresno, Myers’ tone carries some venom.

“I won’t let it define our season,” Myers said. “But we panicked a little and weren’t able to do what we could do. We will build off what we achieved going forward.”

For someone who will spend the summer playing traveling ball in front of numerous college recruiters over five tournaments, Myers is still a bit of a throwback when it comes to sports.

No one is questioning Myers’ passion for a sport she works on year-round. It’s her desire to play at the next level. But the 16-year-old loves sports — all sports.

Myers was one of the Toreadores top water polo players last fall and went to the state meet in wrestling after finishing in the top three at the Central Coast Section finals in her weight class.

“Some people might not like it, but it’s my choice,” Myers said. “I look at each season and look at what’s the hardest sport and what will make me work harder and help me for softball.”

Plus, it’s just enough to where it invigorates Myers when the spring rolls around, that the flame is burning to get back in the circle.

“If you can wrestle, you can do anything,” Myers said. “My dad and brother wrestled. It pushes me to my limits. It gets me in shape. It (sports) connects me to my school more. I make friends. I’m just a competitive person.”

As a pitcher, Myers flirted with perfection on more than one occasion, finishing with eight shutouts and three no-hitters. Her pitches hit 66 mph.

“I live off my curveball,” Myers said. “But I have six different pitches. I don’t throw the rise a lot unless it is a strikeout pitch. I actually throw my curve harder than my rise.”

Realizing last spring as a freshman that opponents and coaches were picking up on her change-up, Myers switched grips this spring, calling it her most improved pitch.

The decision not only enhanced Myers’ arsenal of pitches, but it also served as a school project in the Monterey Academy of Oceanographic Science (MAOS) program.

“Switching grips improved the effectiveness of the pitch,” Myers said. “Coaches couldn’t detect when it was coming. It was also my personal passion project for school.”

The 5-foot-6 Myers won 14 games with a save for the two-time CCS Division II champions, compiling an earned run average of 2.01, striking out 29 hitters in 17 innings in the section playoffs.

“She’s getting more mature in terms of understanding the game,” Royster said. “She already has that high softball IQ. It’s getting more polished. The Gabilan Division is the real deal.”

The Toreadores were bumped to the Gabilan this spring, where five of the eight teams won section titles, with a sixth finishing as a CCS runner-up, and Hollister ending up as the state’s No. 1 ranked team.

Myers came within a walk of a perfect game in the CCS semifinals against Leigh of San Jose, settling for a no-hitter, with eight strikeouts in five innings.

At the plate, Myers hit arguably the biggest home run of her career for the Toreadores in the CCS title game, launching a walk-off, two-run shot to beat Salinas.

“As a pitcher, I can control what I’m doing,” Myers said. “I’m a little more nervous at the plate. It’s hard to hit a small round object off another round object.”

In addition to her nine homers, Myers hit .421 with 15 of her 33 hits going for extra bases. She also led the team with 26 runs batted in, while scoring 29 runs.

Over the course of her first two years at Monterey, the right-handed slugger has belted 22 home runs in leading the program to back-to-back section titles.

As potent as her bat is at the plate, the belief is she will be recruited as a pitcher in college, as she gears up for a huge summer season in travel ball.

“Colleges are looking at me as a pitcher,” said Myers, who plays second base when she’s not pitching. “If I’m allowed to hit, that’s great. Any way I can help a team.”