With her smooth, left-handed swing, Natalie DeMatteis sprays the ball to all fields.

But that's only the half of it. Before an at-bat she gazes out at the enemy, looks for weaknesses and tries to exploit them.

If that means slicing a ball between short and third, so be it.

It's an exceptional talent to possess - if you can cultivate it.

Wade Boggs had it. Tony Gwynn made a living with it.

And DeMatteis, a junior second baseman for the Moniteau softball team, has discovered it, as well.

"She'll try to place the ball where there are gaps in the defense," said Moniteau coach Ernie Hindman. "And she is capable of doing it. For a girl or a guy, that is a phenomenal skill."

DeMatteis honed that ability on her own. Some of the other abilities she has just come naturally.

The 5-foot-2 sparkplug for the Warriors came into last Thursday's game against Karns City hitting at a .757 clip and has shown the ability to hit for power as well as average.

"She can hit the ball to all fields," Hindman said. "And she can turn and pull on the ball and hit it a long way."

DeMatteis went 2-for-5 against the Gremlins, but all three of her outs were loud ones.

"It's frustrating when you do that," DeMatteis said. "You know you can do better."

Hindman wonders how she can.

Last year, DeMatteis hit .610. This season, she started out fast, despite a constant battle with poor weather that made it tough for her - or anyone on the team - to establish any hitting rhythm in practice.

"I am surprised at how fast we started," DeMatteis said. "I thought we would be a little more rusty."

The rust is long gone.

Moniteau has scored 80 runs in seven games this season, and DeMatteis is one of the leading contributors to that total.

Of course, hitting in a lineup like the Warriors' makes standing at the plate a tad bit easier.

"It sure does," DeMatteis said. "It makes you feel less pressure because if you don't get a hit, someone else will."

DeMatteis hits in the third spot in the potent Moniteau lineup, behind speedsters Jenna Beatty and Sara Vinca.

Vinca in particular has been adept at setting the table for DeMatteis. It also helps to have the able bat of senior Melissa Casper hitting in the cleanup spot.

"I do feel comfortable hitting in the third spot," DeMatteis said. "Sara is so quick in front of me. Her and Jenna get on base a lot. Then, we have some good hitters behind me. It's a nice spot to be in."

DeMatteis is also slick with the glove at second, anchoring an infield that is just as solid in the field as it is at the plate.

"You can't ask anything more of what Natalie does for us," Hindman said.

Hindman smiles when he thinks about how a 2-for-5 day can dramatically lower DeMatteis' average. She is now hitting .684.

"She's a .600 hitter," he said. "That's phenomenal at any level; it doesn't matter."

DeMatteis is also a team leader and can be found fielding ground balls, running the bases or lining a single up the middle with a smile on her face.

"We have fun," DeMatteis said. "We have fun probably because we are so close. We know each other so well and know what each of us can do.

"When we're not doing so well, and if we are kind of down, we will mess around and get goofy and it brings us all up," she added.