Three years ago, Los Banos High softball standout Sierrah Garcia didn't know if she wanted to go to college.</p><p>Now she's looking forward to her senior season at Academy of Arts University in San Francisco, an NCAA Division II school, where she has pitched 513 innings in three seasons.</p><p>"I wasn't really considering going to college and playing softball," Garcia said. "(My coaches, Charlie and Amy Pikas) asked me about it, and I started thinking about it, pursuing my education."</p><p>Garcia has grown along with the university, which entered its first season of competition in her freshman year. The school applied for NCAA membership, and was accepted into the Pacific West Conference as a provisional member, which meant it was eligible for conference playoffs, but not the NCAA Division II playoffs.</p><p>"It's different. Each kid plays for different reasons," Academy of Arts coach Rachel Sherman said. "There's always something we want to get to. We can still win the conference championship, but we can't go to postseason. We have other goals."</p><p>The Urban Knights posted a 15-29 record in their first season, and Garcia was the team's main pitcher from the start.</p><p>"She's been here since the beginning," Sherman said. "She's a big reason the program has excelled so quickly. She's doing what she needs to do to help us win."</p><p>Garcia set a strikeouts record in 2010 not just for the young school, but also for the Pacific West Conference, recording 200 in 201 innings as the Urban Knights went 29-23-1, with an 18-14 PacWest record. She had a 19-9 record in the circle.</p><p>"It's pretty exciting," Garcia said. "How many kids get to say they were part of the very first roster at their school? We get to do something that's never been done before."</p><p>The success continued in 2011 as Academy of arts went 29-20, placing fourth in the PacWest with a 17-11 record. Garcia threw 149.1 innings for a 2.25 ERA, 13-11 record and 141 strikeouts, bringing her three-year total to 452 whiffs. This continued the strikeout artistry she began at Los Banos High, where she compiled 387 strikeouts in 306.2 innings.</p><p>"She was a very self-motivated, driven player, and she always had high expectations of herself," former Los Banos High softball coach Charlie Pikas said. "She's a fine example of what really hard work and dedication to the game can do for you."</p><p>Garcia was involved less on the offensive side her junior season at the academy, making a few handfuls of appearances at the plate. She had been a full-time member of the lineup the year before.</p><p>"Nothing against her, we just have a stronger offense," Sherman said. "That allowed her to focus on pitching, which is what she wants to do to help the team."</p><p>What does 2012 hold for Garcia and the Academy of Arts softball squad? Some of that has yet to be decided, as the NCAA reviews whether the school has met the requirements to become a full-time member, and thus become eligible for post-season play.</p><p>"Our main team goal is to win the PacWest championship," Sherman said. "That's going to be our goal every year, and then when we become postseason eligible, our goal will be a national championship."</p><p>Garcia has similar goals on the softball field.</p><p>"We haven't really talked about next year, but I just want to keep improving myself and not settle for what I've done so far," She said. "I want to make people afraid of us and make a name for ourselves."</p><p>Off the field, Garcia said she plans to start a business specializing in sports photo editing, sports posters, logo design and t-shirt design. As one of the only art schools in the country with an athletic program, she went to the right place.</p><p>"Academically, she's getting a great degree and doing what she wants to do," Sherman said. "That's a huge accomplishment. Some kids just go to college to play, but for a student-athlete to choose academics first and foremost is a great thing, and she'll be able to choose what she wants to do."</p><p>Enterprise reporter David Witte can be reached by phone at 388-6565 or by e-mail at sports@losbanosenterprise.com