Tuesday, November 15, 2016 would be the third signing day ceremony in the history of Port Of Los Angeles High School... and their softball program. The latest to make her college choice known, is current senior pitcher Analise De La Roca.

Two years ago, De La Roca was on campus to witness two of her teammates Nicolle Miranda (Eastern Michigan) and Savana Ramirez (Yavapai Junior College, Arizona) on separate days before and after the 2015 season, become the first two in school history to host a signing day ceremony. On Tuesday, De La Roca hosted one of her own as she has signed a national letter of intent to play collegiate softball at New Mexico State University.

De La Roca took it all in with joy as she signed on the dotted line surrounded by her parents Ariana and POLA assistant coach Gabriel, nearly the entire team of returners coming back, and several other family members and friends with principal Tom Scotti and athletic director Roger Cosgrove.

"I loved the atmosphere of the school and softball program there," De La Roca said of her first visit to New Mexico State. "Also the coaching staff there seemed like the perfect fit for me. The coaches seemed to really care about the players and their futures."

Before her high school career even took off, De La Roca originally committed to Arizona State but decommitted following her record-setting junior season in which the 2016 San Pedro News Pilot Prep Softball Player Of The Year seemingly did it all for POLA.

"It was a coaching change and ASU was no longer a fit for me," De La Roca said on her de-commitment.

In just her junior season alone, De La Roca garnered 408 strikeouts, finishing 26-4 with a 0.43 ERA, 20 shutouts, 5 no-hitters and three perfect games, allowing 19 runs (12 earned), 31 walks and ten hit batters in 197 innings pitched. De La Roca also hit .521 with 4 home runs, 49 hits, 16 doubles and 37 RBIs with 13 runs scored with an on base percentage of .609, and a .840 slugging percentage.

The phenomenal total of strikeouts last season not only set a new CIF-Los Angeles City Section single season record, the most striking part of it was De La Roca only had 129 strikeouts in her first two years as the No.1B pitcher behind Miranda, the No.1A.

De La Roca took home several postseason awards, such as being the fourth in the history of the program to be named to the Cal-Hi Sports All-State Underclass Team as a first team pitcher, her first CIF-LACS honor as the Co-Pitcher Of The Year, an All-Area Daily Breeze South Bay first team selection, and Coliseum League Player & Pitcher Of The Year.

"Those are great accomplishments to have," De La Roca said. "But my greatest accomplishment will be to help my team get to that (CIF-LACS Division 1) championship game."

Overall, De La Roca has with lifetime statistics of a 46-8 record with a 1.29 ERA and 537 strikeouts, also with a lifetime batting average of .427 with ten home runs and 88 RBIs. POLA has reached the CIF-LACS Division 1 semifinals all three seasons, losing by 2 runs to the eventual champion every time. De La Roca has a lifetime 3-0 record against both San Pedro and Mary Star combined in career starts against other hometown schools.

Even in spite of all this, De La Roca does what comes natural for the good of the program.

POLA will be one of many striving to compete for a CIF-LACS Division 1 championship in 2017, and with De La Roca in the circle for one final ride, wins against the Polar Bears will be very hard to come by.