Pleasanton Preps: Arioto ready to compete for USA Softball at Olympics

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It takes more than just talent to make it to the highest levels of achievement of any athletes’ respective sport.

There are thousands and thousands of people across the United States that have amazing athletic tools, but that doesn’t guarantee them to be successful.

Pleasanton native Valerie Arioto is representing the U.S. in softball at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo courtesy of USA Softball)

There must be not just physical strength, but mental strength as well. This can be found in the resolve of an athlete, as well as the ability to deal with and overcome challenges.

Valerie Arioto, the 2007 Foothill graduate, has faced adversity in her stellar athletic career and met it straight on and knocked it out of the way.

The now-32-year-old is arguably the top athlete to ever come out of the East Bay Athletic League and is now in Japan with Team USA, ready to represent the United States in softball at the Olympic Games.

It was the way she handled and rebounded from adversity that finds her finally realizing her dream of playing in the Olympics.

As one of the top players in the world when she came out of Cal, there was no doubt the talent was there for Arioto to get to the Olympics, but there was one big problem.

Softball was taken out of the Olympics in 2008, leaving Arioto and the rest of her incredibly talented U.S. teammates with no Olympics.

In 2016, it was decided to bring softball back in 2020, so Arioto, along with many players in her age group, saw a light at the end of the tunnel.

“The excitement for this Olympics has been building and I have been patiently waiting while softball has been out of the Olympics since 2008,” Arioto said on the eve of the team’s departure to Japan.

COVID-19 forced the games to be postponed a year and even as little as a month ago, there were questions as to whether the Olympics in Tokyo would take place.

Recently the decision was made to proceed with the games, and the goal will be realized.

“I am grateful to even have this opportunity with how devastating this past year has been,” Arioto said. “But I have continued to work and keep that standard of excellence throughout.”

While staying relevant and in world-class condition awaiting the possibility of playing in the Olympics took perseverance in a big way, it was nowhere near the adversity she faced in college while playing for Cal.

At one point she suffered a horrific broken leg injury that kept her from playing for the Bears in 2011. I remember talking with her several times throughout the year, and there was never a question as to if she would make it back.

The conversation always centered around how good she would be when she did take the field again.

The answer — very good.

In the 2012 senior season, Arioto finished with career bests in average (.365), RBIs (60), and home runs (23). Then there was the pitching, where she went 20-3 in the circle with an ERA of 1.32.

She finished as a three-time All-American at Cal and was the Pac-12 Player of the Year her senior season.

Following Cal, Arioto took her game to the next level on the international scene.

She was part of the gold medal-winning USA team in the WBSC World Championships in 2016 and 2017. Arioto also won gold medals in the 2011, 2015, 2017 and 2019 Pan-Am games and is a four-time gold medalist in the World Cup of Softball.

The U.S. Women’s Olympic Team kicks off exhibition matchups on Friday with a doubleheader against Iyo Bank Vertz followed by three more doubleheaders scheduled for next Sunday through Tuesday against Toyota Terriers and Hitachi Sundiva.

Fans across the globe will have the opportunity to follow along with each game via live stats. A full schedule and link to live stats can be found at USASoftball.com. You can also find links to the Olympic schedule as well.

Know one thing — Arioto will be ready to go.

“It’s finally here and I can’t wait to get to Japan to continue this journey,” Arioto said, before leaving the States with her teammates. “I am so honored to represent the USA. Thank you to my family and everyone who has supported me along the way. Now it’s time to bring home the gold!”

Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for the Pleasanton Weekly. To contact him about his “Pleasanton Preps” column, email acesmag@aol.com.