After pitching for Puerto Rico, Doral senior aiming to lead Firebirds to state title
Only two years ago, Yessenia Lopez could only dream of the experiences she’s having and accomplishments she’s achieving.
Lopez, already one of the more dominant pitchers in South Florida at the time, transferred from South Plantation to Doral Academy before her junior year and has since evolved into one of the toughest arms in the state.
She recently pitched for the Puerto Rican U18 national team at the Pan Am women’s softball championship in Monteria, Colombia.
Lopez played a vital part in helping Puerto Rico, which is currently ranked No. 3 in the world, win the tournament and qualify for this summer’s U18 World Cup tournament.
But as soon as Lopez could, she boarded a flight home to make sure she pitched in the Kissimmee Klassic, one of their more difficult stretches of Doral’s season so far.
Although representing her parents’ home country was special to Lopez, she said she didn’t want to let her high school teammates down.
“This has meant the world to me. I came in here looking for a spot and a home and these girls have that to me,” Lopez said. “I’ve hit milestones I never thought I would. I’ve grown a lot, learning from them. I pitched for Puerto Rico because it was an amazing opportunity, but I was able to do that and help my team here so I was grateful to both coaches for letting me do that.”
Lopez’s next goal with Team Puerto Rico is to help them win a world championship if she earns a spot on the World Cup roster.
But first, she has unfinished business at Doral.
Lopez, a UCF commit, wants to finish her high school career hoisting what would be her first state championship with the Firebirds, who won their lone state title in 2021. Doral has come close to adding a second championship each of the past two seasons and has advanced to at least the state semifinals every season since 2019.
Doral is 20-1 so far this season and ranked 12th nationally by MaxPreps. Doral has posted 11 shutouts as of last Friday, and outscored its opponents 173-17.
Lopez is at the forefront of those efforts.
After striking out 16 batters against Miami Westminster Christian in an 8-0 shutout last Friday, Lopez is 10-1, with 126 strikeouts in 75 innings and has an 0.84 ERA.
“It’s been a lot of fun for her because it’s difficult moving from one school to another as an upperclassman,” Doral coach Willie Viruet said. “Last year, she performed well on the field but this year we’re getting the full Yessenia. Every part of her game is working and she looks a lot stronger. If she can go out there and consistently strike out 15 or 16, it’s huge because we know we can pick up those last five or six outs.”
Lopez is the latest Firebird to star internationally as sophomore shortstop Anabela Abdullah, shined with Team USA’s U15 squad this past summer, helping them win a gold medal at the World Cup in Japan.
Lopez was already a hard thrower when she came to Doral. But Viruet says developing her secondary pitchers has made her even tougher to hit.
Lopez won all three games she started for Puerto Rico, striking out 24 (fifth-most in the tournament) and allowing only two earned runs in 13 innings. But the results weren’t the only highlights for Lopez.
Being able to work with and learn from older players including Puerto Rico national team pitcher Aleshia Ocasio was even more valuable.
“When you go to play national ball, everybody throws hard,” Lopez said. “They taught me a lot about how to pitch.”
Doral won its first state title backed by one of the toughest pitchers in South Florida in recent memory in Alyssa Zabala, now a sophomore at the University of Louisville.
But Lopez is going to have plenty of backup on the potential road to a title.
When Lopez has not been in the circle, it’s been junior Meagan Villazon, who is 9-0 with 110 strikeouts and a 0.15 ERA in 47 innings. Villazon has also hit .412 with two home runs and 28 RBI at the plate.
Junior Sarah Breaux, a Clemson commit, leads Doral’s lineup, hitting .579 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI.
Abdullah is hitting .491 with seven home runs and 18 RBI while her sister, Zoey, is hitting .403 with four triples. Emily Santana, the only other senior on Doral’s roster, is hitting .404 with three homers and 15 RBI.
Doral’s road to a title is as tough as it is, however.
The Firebirds are in a stacked Class 6A and are one of five teams that make up the top 5 ranked teams in the state overall according to the FHSAA’s power rankings. Doral’s four potential opponents at the state tournament (May 20-25 in Clermont), Santa Rosa Pace, Bartow, Valrico Bloomingdale, and Melbourne are all ranked in MaxPreps’ top 20 national rankings.
“We’ve had great teams here, but this might be the deepest, most balanced team we’ve ever had,” Viruet said. “We have middle school kids that are hitting well. After going through this so much, you realize how much you need a deeper bench. We’re there and we have good enough talent.”
