Alivia Artanis can do it all on the softball field. But she came from a place of doing very little. The uncommitted junior sits down with Sporting Her’s Jeff Cheshire to discuss how she became one of the top utility players in her recruiting class.
The situation was screaming for Alivia Artanis. What was that situation? Well, that is not particularly important. It could be any situation, really. Artanis is just like that. She can slot in anywhere, anytime, and do it all pretty well.
That is on both sides of the game. The West Broward High School junior can play anywhere in the infield, and even push back to the outfield. She is a triple threat with the bat, a converted lefty who can slap, bunt and hit.
Just as importantly, she knows when and how to use each of those tools she possesses. And beyond all of that, she prides herself on her ability to communicate, to be loud and hype up her team. That is a skill set she can bring all game, every game, even if she is sitting on the bench.
Talk about a player who adds value. And it was that which propelled her to be ranked as the number 1 utility in the class of 2025, by leading softball authority Extra Innings.
”Definitely knowing the more tools I have in my toolbox, and the more positions I can play, helps my team as a whole,” the three-time All-Broward County first team utility says, as she sits on a zoom call from her South Florida home.
”I wouldn’t be one to be like ‘I just want to stay in this position, I feel that I’m better in this position’.
“I don’t like to limit myself to being a one-tool player, I’d rather be a five-tool player. I definitely feel it helps more with my team, with situations we are put in. I’m sure coaches would love to hear I can play anywhere you need me.”
While she has unmatched versatility now, it came from a place of knowing how to do very little. Artanis has played softball since switching from gymnastics as a young girl, and while she always loved it, admits to being far from the star player initially. That all changed when she began working with her first travel ball coach, Pepsi Langston. Prior to that she was a self-confessed ”automatic out” who only knew how to bunt, and responded with “right bench” when asked her position in the field.
So he broke her down. He taught her to slap and hit. Then, when she had forgotten how to bunt after all that, he re-taught her that. She learnt to play second and third base, as well as short stop. It was ”a lot” – of work, tears, money, and everything else you can think of. But she emerged one of the most well-rounded softball players in the country. And while Pepsi, who she still goes to for hitting lessons, was the one that made her a versatile machine, it has been her decision to carry on down the utility path.
Artanis knows she is not the biggest and strongest player, nor is she one to make a ton of “ESPN plays” and hit regular home runs. However, she knows she can perform consistently to a high level across a variety of areas. Alongside her utility value, she is both extremely athletic and intelligent. She makes use of both of those to do the two most fundamental things in the game – get on base and get girls out.
”I feel that as I’ve grown as a softball player, I’ve learnt my role. I know with my size and strength, I’m a little bit smaller.
”Home runs are not a big thing for me, I hit them every now and again, but I know I’m a contact hitter. I’ve got to get on base and move my runner.
”And I know, on the field, you’re not always going to make these amazing ESPN plays. But you’ve always got to back up your pitcher and give 110% when you’re out there.”
Perhaps most crucially to all of that, she has learnt how to use her versatility. That is especially key at the plate, and often the decision is her’s whether she will hit, slap or bunt. She preaches reading her field. Using her IQ to know the situation and which tool is required for it. Once she has put the ball in play, her speed on the bases and sliding ability makes her a tough out. It helped her to 32 hits at a batting average of .427 in her recently finished high school season, while also stealing 18 bases in 22 games.
That athleticism helps her in the field, too. And while she has that utility value, she admits second base remains her favourite spot, as it gets the most out of her athleticism. And that is clear to see. Artanis is dynamic in every sense. She has the agility and explosiveness to dive and get to the most unlikely hard-hit ball, and execute from there to get the batter out – something she did 58 times in those 22 high school games.
”I feel like when I’m at third base, my range is a little more restricted. I’m a little bit faster, a little more agile.
”When I’m at second base, I have a lot more ground to cover. I can get a lot more balls that are not normally balls that should be outs for a regular speed player. I can help my pitcher out with getting those balls in the holes, and making those great plays to back her up on the field.”
Backing up her pitcher, and the rest of her team, is something she does with her voice, too. She uses it both to bring the hype and lift her team, but also to communicate the situation and help direct the play. It is a skill that anyone can be good at. However, it is something not a lot of people actually do well.
For Artanis, it is that which believes is her biggest selling point as a recruit, and where she brings the biggest value to her team. It is something that can often be overlooked in recruiting, and Artanis admitted the recruiting process had not been easy. At this point she remains uncommitted, although has begun to receive interest from colleges more recently and remains optimistic.
”I think with me, and a lot of other girls the same as me, they’re a diamond in the rough. Scrappy players that are contact hitters.
”We’re going to be the most productive and the most consistent on your team, rather than fluctuating up and down.
”I think that was the hardest thing I had to understand. Sometimes it sucks being told you’re not big enough, or not tall enough. It’s something you can’t control. But I got dealt these cards, and I’m trying to make the best out of it, I’m trying to win my game.
”I know there’s a spot for me. I know there’s a home for every softball player on the field.”
It would not be the first adversity she has had to overcome, and turn into her favour. Having initially done gymnastics as a young girl, she found years later she had developed hairline fractures on either side of her kneecap during those years.
So she spent two months as a 14-year-old sitting out from softball, in an ankle-to-thigh brace, with no range of motion. But she did what she could – whether it be sitting on a bucket and hitting or throwing, or helping coach her team mates. It was also during that time that she developed her IQ, which has become a key component of her game in subsequent years.
More recently she found herself without a travel team. She had previously been with a Gators team that was too far away to attend practices, and felt she was not getting as much out of it as she needed to. So she began trying out for various teams – and struggled to find a new home. Just as she had been close to giving up, she got an invite to Florida Gold 18U. She made the team. And it is there that she has thrived.
”Alivia plays the game with such energy and enthusiasm that, more than anything, she is just fun to watch,” Florida Gold 18U head coach Amanda Lopez told Sporting Her.
”She’s so electric defensively, she’s the type of player every pitcher wants behind them she’ll be your number one fan.
”Alivia brings such a presence to wherever she plays, she is the spark plug that every dugout needs, she does whatever she can to get on base.”
But it is those set backs, those moments of being overlooked, that have made the accolades all the more special. She has been All Broward County first team since her freshman high school year. She has played for Puerto Rico Under-18, qualifying for eligibility through her father. She is an Extra Innings ambassador, a recent honour which will pair her with younger girls to offer guidance and help. She is widely referred to as a role model, by various softball media outlets across the internet. And of course, there is that small matter of being ranked the Number 1 utility, and 40th overall player, in her class by Extra Innings.
While she has yet to commit to a college, she has time. Interest has started trickling in and she hopes to have something in place by the beginning of her senior high season.
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