(6-15-26) Jenica Matos led Cheshire to its second-straight state Class LL championship in the state of Connecticut with a 2-0 win over Southington this past weekend.

She was named as the Most Outstanding Player thanks to throwing a one-hit shutout with 15 strikeouts

From brobible Connecticut High School Softball Ace Who Is Legally Blind Finished 27-0 With Crazy Amount Of Strikeouts

Dramatic Semifinal Game Win

She finished with 26 strikeouts during the Rams 12-inning semifinal round win over Darien 1-0.

This season

Matos has started every game this year, allowed only one earned run in 105 innings pitched and struck out 250 of 387 batters faced (~65%). The Rams finished the season undefeated at 27-0 and won their second-straight Connecticut state championship.

What Is Special About Matos…

Matos was diagnosed with Stargart disease as a child. It is a rare genetic disorder that has taken away her central vision.

Stargardt disease is a rare, inherited eye disorder that causes progressive central vision loss in children and young adults. It is a form of juvenile macular dystrophy triggered by a fatty yellow pigment buildup that damages the macula—the part of the retina responsible for sharp, detailed, and straight-ahead vision.

She told CBS News –

“It started when I was about 10 or 11 I told my parents that while playing softball, the ball kind of looked like fuzzy, like it wasn’t as clear as it used to be.”

“When I was younger, I was able to see like the people’s faces, like if I was in the dugout and looking out on the field and now I can’t at all.”

Matos is considered legally blind but she can see contrast. Her catcher will wear a white chest protector with a black mitt to give her a target at which to aim. Muscle memory is used to help her.

Muscle memory is the ability to perform physical tasks with little to no conscious effort, built through constant repetition. It powers everything from typing and typing on a keyboard to playing an instrument or riding a bike. In fitness, it also refers to the body’s ability to regain lost muscle size and strength significantly faster than when they were initially built

“My pitching coach, we work a lot on … muscle memory and knowing when I release the ball, where it’s gonna go.”

One thing that you get from Matos…is that despite the situation you are given you can succeed…she is an inspiration for all of us.

What does the future hold?