One of the best stories of the summer comes from Woodland Hills, Calif. where Zoe Shaw, a senior middle infielder at El Camino Real Charter High, received exciting news a month ago: she would be playing softball at UCLA.

The So Cal native was reportedly the last player taken in the 2015 class by the Bruins over top prospects from around the country and that would be news enough except for one astonishing fact.

Zoe has played softball for less than a year.

That’s right, up until last summer she was a high school baseball player but when her playing time on the El Camino Real junior varsity team diminished, she decided to move to softball and the move has paid off in a big way.

Just two years ago, Zoe was a starter at second base on the boy’s frosh/soph baseball team and was awarded “Offensive Player of the Year” after hitting .430. In 2013 she played second for the JV squad that won the Div. I title, but after the season she realized that, while she could compete defensively with the boys, plate strength became an issue.

In mid-September of last year, she joined the Pacific Coast Predators club softball team and quickly got up to speed. Before long, she was starting at shortstop and hitting .434 with 23 RBI through the team’s first 40 games.

In December, Zoe went to a UCLA two-day clinic and did so well she was noticed by Head Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez and Assistant Coach Lisa Fernandez even asked her, “Why aren’t you being recruiting?” The converted softball prospect explained her situation and the Bruin coaches said they’d keep an eye on her and told her she had the ability to play in a Top 20 softball program.

This spring, Zoe hit .449 for El Camino Real’s softball squad, helping the Conquistadors go 24-2 and end up ranked by CalHiSports.comas the No. 38 team in California. The fairly new softball player also knocked in 50 runs and had an on-base percentage of .505.

It didn’t hurt that her high school team also featured one of the top seniors in the country, middle infielder McKenna Arriola (ranked No. 33 in the 2014 Hot 100), who eventually signed with Oregon State and had other top national teams watching her.

Zoe didn’t wait for UCLA to recruit her; instead, she continued to call and write Fernandez and a relationship developed. The legendary former Bruin pitcher invited Zoe to tour the campus in March and to attend a June softball camp. There—the high schooler was told—one open spot on the Bruin roster would be filled based on the camp performances by elite players from across the nation.

A lot of pressure, perhaps, but the infielder rose to the challenge and was offered the coveted spot. On July 25, Zoe committed to UCLA.

“I can’t believe it,” she marveled. “It’s the school I really wanted to go to.”

Zoe, who has a 3.5 GPA, was also invited to play for one of the top club teams in the country in the So Cal Choppers led by Dean and Gary Fausett. Dean, in fact, has coached a half dozen converted baseball players and says the cross-overs are often ahead of the curve.

“Girls who play baseball are usually better coached overall,” he says. “Their technique and fundamentals seem to be more developed and we saw that in Zoe. She had the skills, plus we liked her savvy, instincts and soft hands on defense.”

But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t work to do.

“A big difference between baseball and softball,” Dean continues,” is the speed of the game. Zoe and other baseball players are used to playing with 90 feet bases and you have more time to adjust, set your feet and make a play. In softball, there are multiple things going on: slapping, bunting, hitting away. You have 2.6 to 2.7 seconds to make a play and that speed is something baseball players coming over have to adjust to.”

“Zoe, though,” the coach concludes,” is not your normal athlete. Her knowledge is so different than most players and that’s what will allow her to succeed now and in the future.”

At PGF Nationals this summer, Zoe helped the team tie for 9^th at the highest level of competition, 18U Premier, and she led the team with four steals and was fourth in batting (of the players with 10 or more at-bats) with a .308 average.

“I still have a lot to work on,” the athlete admits, “including my swing. I need to cut it in half and eliminate the leg kick, but I’m working hard on that with Dean and Gary.”

What’s amazing is the compressed timeframe Zoe has had to adjust from the nuances of baseball to softball and she’s come through with flying colors so far.

As her father, Jeff, best sums it up, what a difference a year can make.

“It’s been a interesting journey for her to say the least,” he concludes. “Last summer she decided to move to softball and now she has the opportunity to play for one of the best colleges in the country.  It’s all been pretty exciting!”