By Carlos Arias @SoCalSidelines

For those who were hoping Cathedral Catholic of San Diego's star pitcher and No. 1 Hot 100 player Megan Faraimo would come down with a case of senioritis this season, forget about it.

After winning a CIF-SDS Open Division title during her junior season and taking Marty Tyson's Corona Angels to the PGF 18U national championship game, the UCLA-bound right-hander is back and she's more ferocious than ever.

"I can speak for myself and I'm just as hungry as I was last year if not more," Faraimo said. "I think it would be really cool to go back-to-back. All the girls on the team, that's their goal to at least get back to the championship and hopefully win it there."

Faraimo has had an absolutely spectacular start to the season for Cathedral Catholic (6-0), which is ranked No. 1 in San Diego, No. 2 by FloSoftball, and No. 3 in Southern California by So Cal Sidelines. She is 6-0 with a 0.21 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 33 innings. She has two perfect games and has allowed five hits and one run. She's also batting .500 (8 for 16) with two doubles, two homers, and six RBIs.

Unstoppable

On Tuesday, Faraimo struck out the first 19 batters she faced in the semifinals of the Cougar Classic in Escondido, finishing with an eight-inning perfect game and 23 strikeouts to beat Chula Vista Bonita Vista 5-0. Then she hit a grand slam and pitched a one-hitter with 12 strikeouts in five innings to beat Spring Valley Steele Canyon 11-0 for the championship.

"Being my last year here, I really want to win it for (Cathedral Catholic coach Margaret) Mauro," Faraimo said. "She's such a great coach and the whole coaching staff, really. I just appreciate them a lot. And being my last year, I want to go out with a bang."

The matchup everyone in San Diego is eager to see is Cathedral Catholic vs. San Marcos for the CIF-SDS Open Division championship. The game would pit Faraimo against Notre Dame-bound Payton Tidd. But before that potential matchup happens Cathedral Catholic has some tough games ahead. The Dons will be at the Best of the West Tournament this weekend and at the Michelle Carew Classic, which is arguably the toughest high school tournament in the nation, in April. Faraimo knows what she and her teammates are facing.

"I think it's going to be a little bit harder," Faraimo said. "We were already talking about we have so much to lose this year if we lose any games, so the pressure is really on. But I think our team is really strong. We have a couple of freshmen and I'm excited. I think if we work hard and are dedicated, we can do it."

Been There, Won That

Faraimo has a ton of experience on the national stage while playing with the Corona Angels, including winning a PGF 14U national title in 2014 and reaching the PGF 18U national finals last year.

"It really sucks that we came up short, but I think it was a really good learning lesson for the girls returning this year and hopefully we can get it done this year," Faraimo said.

"It was pretty cool because all of us on that team were so young and were exposed to that big of a ball game. So we kind of knew what to expect in the 18U championship. It really prepared us mentally for anything because you knew how to rise to the occasion."

Faraimo has been with the Corona Angels organization since she was a seventh-grader.

"Most of us have been together for six years," Faraimo said, "so we really want to capitalize on our last year together."

Faraimo, a 6-footer who was also a three-year varsity volleyball player at Cathedral Catholic, is an imposing figure on the mound. She has been clocked in the high 60s and low 70s, so she can be a terrifying figure for opposing hitters.

"I grew up with two brothers, so I'm already really competitive," Faraimo said. "Growing up as the only girl, I think that has a lot to do with my personality on the field. I'm the middle child. Even in rec ball, my mom was always telling me to have a poker face, so I can never let anyone know what I'm thinking and have the same demeanor whether it's good or bad.

"Whenever I'm on the mound, I would say that's when I am most confident in myself. Not necessarily that I'm doing good, but it's where I'm supposed to be and I just love the competition of it all. It's so weird because so many girls have come up to me and said that they were really scared of me when they were on the opposing team, but once they meet me they say, 'Oh my God, you're totally different."

That dominant force on the mound turns into a playful and thoughtful young woman off the field.

"When I applied (to UCLA) I put in philosophy (as my major)," Faraimo said. "But I think I'm going to change that to [political science] because you're required to take American government. I really enjoy that class."

But she can also see herself as a lawyer one day. She's really into the TV series "How To Get Away With Murder," which features Viola Davis as legal superstar Annalise Keating.

"I was always interested in those shows and how the justice system works," Faraimo said. "The difference in right and wrong, social justice, and that whole area, so I think political science will cover all of that."