Meet 2018 No. 1 Hot 100 Player Megan Faraimo

It’s not unusual for a talented softball to have all-world gifts at a young age — say, 7th or 8th grade — but eventually peak or plateau and see the rest of her class catch up physically and in on-field skills. Rare is the player who dominates early and keeps elevating her game ahead of her age group, but that’s exactly what Megan Faraimo has done. At the 14U level in 2014, she was the workhorse for Marty Tyson’s Angels team that won the PGF National Championship and was so effective that he gave the winning trophy to her for “carrying the team on her back.” 

Faraimo shortly thereafter moved up to the 18U level and had to adjust with the big age jump, but soon became the franchise pitcher for the prestigious program and in 2017 elevated her game to another level. After a stellar junior season that saw the Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, CA) High pitcher go 27-1 with a 0.60 ERA and 251 strikeouts in 175 1/3 innings and led the Dons to the CIF San Diego Section Open Division title, she deservedly earned First-Team FloSoftball All-American honors as well as being chosen as the State Junior of the Year by CalHiSports.com and the SoCalSidelines.com San Diego Pitcher of the Year. Helping her win all those honors was a transcendent 17-strikeout performance in 10 innings to help Cathedral capture the section title. So far she’s 52-6 in her three prep seasons, but what really wowed onlookers was when Faraimo took the field this summer for club play. 

Noticeably bigger, stronger, and more powerful, Faraimo benefitted from being a standout volleyball player — she’s won state volleyball championships, too — and using the conditioning and skills in that sport to help her become a better all-around athlete while advancing in the mental side of pitching, namely being able to battle and use her great speed and movement on the pitches to set up batters. 

Fariamo led the Angels to the PGF 18U Premier Nationals title game and had a stellar week, going 4-1 with a 0.21 ERA and 26 Ks and only four walks in 33 innings with four complete games. In the title game — a 2-0 loss to the hot Beverly Bandits led by pitcher Alexis Holloway, now at Notre Dame — Faraimo only gave up three hits and one earned run but the Angels fell 2-0 to prevent the San Diego two-sport athlete from getting her second PGF Nationals title. 

But her fantastic week, summer, and year couldn’t take away all the realized potential of the senior who has all the makings to become the next great Bruin pitcher following in the paths of former great hurlers like Lisa Fernandez, Lisa Longaker, Amanda Freed, Angelica Selden, Tracy Compton, Debbie Doom, Kiera Goerl, and Ally Carda. Whether Faraimo will join that long list of legendary pitchers, only time will tell, but based on her performances and accomplishments over the last year she has shown she has what it takes to be the top player in the FloSoftball 2018 Hot 100.