Alesia Ranches stepped out of her comfort zone because she didn’t want to be a follower.

The 2019 Campbell High School alumna wanted to forge her own path in college and maybe, just maybe, the first native of Hawaii to play for the Iowa State softball team could become a trendsetter instead.

Ranches’ four-year softball career has come full circle both on and off the field. She started her career hitting a home run and leading the Cyclones to a tournament win in Hawaii in the Paradise Classic in the program’s first-ever trip to the islands.

This year, Iowa State will come back to play in the Rainbow Wahine Classic next month.

“I’m honestly more excited than the first time,” Ranches said in a phone interview Tuesday. “I would say the first time I was more nervous than excited, and so right now it’s less nerves and more excitement for this one.”

The 5-foot-4 senior has played all over the field during her time at Iowa State but has settled in at shortstop for the last half of her career.

She’s started 138 games and her overall numbers have gotten better every season.

Last year, she had a career-best nine doubles, five homers and 34 RBIs, but numbers aren’t what she finds most important.

“I just want to get better again,” she said. “Every year you need to improve. Yes, I do care about the numbers, but at the same time, I’m not going to let the stats define me with who I am. I just want to be a better leader on and off the field.”

That full-circle moment isn’t just coming back to play in Hawaii.

Iowa State joins California as the only Power Five schools to have multiple players on the roster from Hawaii. Freshman Paige Nakashima, a fellow Campbell alumna, played in her first two collegiate games last weekend for the Cyclones.

Ranches can remember when she found out she would have another player from Hawaii on the team for her senior season.

“It was such a sweet feeling (finding) that out because that’s why I wanted to come here. I wanted to create a path for others to follow me,” Ranches said. “That’s why I just want to leave here on a good note with something that the younger girls will be able to look up to. Right now that’s just me being a good role model for the younger ones.”

Living in Ames, Iowa, the past four years, Ranches still refuses to keep her shoes on when she goes to other dorms, apartments or homes.

People around her do notice a change, however, when she speaks.

“My friends here think I still have a local accent, but coming home (to Hawaii) they definitely think I talk like someone from the mainland, so I guess I have picked up on that for sure,” Ranches said.

The frequent flyer miles will pick up over the next month. Iowa State’s next four tournaments are in California (twice), Arkansas and Hawaii before it plays its first game at home on March 17 against Brigham Young.

Three opponents over the next three weeks have players from Hawaii on the roster, including two games against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, in which Ranches could find herself hitting against Kaiser alumna Primrose Aholelei.

“That’s really cool to hear about all the other Hawaii girls,” Ranches said.

ALESIA RANCHES

School: Iowa State

Class: Senior

Height: 5 feet 4

Position: Shortstop

High school: Campbell (2019)

CAREER STATISTICS

YEAR GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI AVG.

2020 24-23 67 10 21 2 0 2 7 .313

2021 55-55 154 25 37 7 0 3 21 .240

2022 55-55 151 25 41 9 1 5 34 .272

2023 5-5 17 1 4 0 0 0 0 .235

TOT. 139-138 389 61 103 18 1 10 62 .265

HAWAII GROWN: SOFTBALL

Thirty Hawaii high school graduates are currently on mainland Division I rosters:

Name College Ht. Cl. Pos. High school

Ailana Agbayani BYU 5-4 Fr. RHP/SS ‘Iolani

Aleia Agbayani Cal 5-4 Jr. INF/OF ‘Iolani

Primrose Aholelei Texas A&M-C.C. 5-8 Jr. RHP Kaiser

Shaylee Alani Abilene Christian 5-6 Sr. INF Kamehameha

Lauren Almeida Utah Tech 5-8 Soph. INF KS-Maui

Gigi Araki UC Riverside 5-5 Jr. C/1B Leilehua

Kai Barrett Cal Poly 5-5 Jr. C ‘Iolani

Allie Capello Pacific (Calif.) 5-5 Fr. INF ‘Iolani

Nikki Donahue Texas-Arlington 5-7 Fr. C Kamehameha

Manaia Fonoti Coppin St. 5-6 Fr. INF Sacred Hearts

Logan Gaspar Abilene Christian 5-5 Soph. SS Maryknoll

Jadey Hagiwara Brown 5-4 Sr. C/3B Punahou

Kenna Higa Norfolk St. 5-7 Soph. 1B/3B Kamehameha

LB Kahahawai-Kekona Utah Tech 5-5 Fr. INF Baldwin

Keila Kamoku Ole Miss 5-4 Soph. INF Kamehameha

Lovey Kepa’a Grand Canyon 5-10 Soph. INF Leilehua

Mackenzie Kila East Carolina 5-5 Fr. Util Mililani

Jackie Kirkpatrick Tennessee 5-8 Fr. C/3B Mililani

Asia Lee Pacific (Calif.) 5-8 Fr. INF/OF Punahou

Maya Matsubara Colorado St. 5-5 Jr. INF Punahou

Carys Murakami CSUN 5-3 Fr. INF Maryknoll

Paige Nakashima Iowa St. 5-8 Fr. INF Campbell

Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung Portland St. 5-5 Fr. RHP Maryknoll

Marissa Nishihara Saint Mary’s 5-3 Jr. OF Mid-Pacific

Alyssa Okada Long Island 5-3 Sr. OF Pearl City

Alesia Ranches Iowa St. 5-4 Sr. INF Campbell

D’Asha Saiki Cal 5-4 Jr. INF Punahou

Breli Agbayani Shibao CSUN 5-3 Fr. OF Maryknoll

Taylor Sullivan UCLA 5-8 Sr. C KS-Hawaii

Liliana Thomas LMU 5-7 Soph. INF Maryknoll