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First in club teams and then together in high school where the two have remained inseparable on and off the field.

But for the first time in nearly a decade, the two will be separated when they leave Tucson to attend Div. I universities this fall.

“Me and Molly have been attached at the hip since like forever,� Streuber said. “One of my favorite parts about softball has just been playing with her all the time and having her behind me at shortstop. So, it's gonna be hard going to college and not having her there when I turn around.�

After the seniors graduate this spring, Streuber will head out to Corvallis to attend Oregon State on a scholarship, while Herman will go to Oxford, Ohio, to attend Miami (Ohio).

However, before they can even think about the journeys ahead of them, they’re soaking up their final season as Dorados, along with 10 other seniors.

Currently, CDO is undefeated in the Class 5A Sonoran, going 4-0 in regular-season games that kicked off on March 3.

Both players are already having strong starts with incredible numbers despite only being a few games in.

Streuber, a starting pitcher for the Dorados, has a 0.57 ERA with 74 strikeouts in just 37 innings. She’s currently ranked No. 54 in the nation in ERA, No. 53 for wins and No. 31 for no-hitters.

Not to mention, she’s No. 1 in Arizona for strikeouts and wins.

Shortstop Molly Herman is having quite the season, too.

Herman has a .686 batting average, a .732 on-base percentage and currently leads the team with 20 runs. She’s landed on national leaderboards, too, coming in at No. 158 for her average and No. 243 for her OBP.

“Everything's great,� Herman said. “Hitting has been going really well. We have a really strong hitting team and Amelia has been doing her job on the mound, so I think we could go far this year.�

The team overall is ranked No. 19 nationally and No. 1 in Arizona, according to MaxPreps.

CDO was set to take on Salpointe Catholic, which defeated them in last year’s state championship, but the game was postponed last Wednesday due to flooding from rain on Salpointe’s field. The game has been rescheduled for April.

The cancellation was sure to be a disappointment for the team who wanted a win, but also wanted the opportunity to participate in one of their favorite post-game traditions: bus ride karaoke.

During their bus rides following a game, especially after a victory, Herman, Streuber and the rest of the Dorados sing along to 2010s “oldies� from artists like Adele and Bruno Mars.

The camaraderie is something that Herman and Streuber will miss the most after graduation.

Finishing up her high school softball career hasn’t quite hit Streuber yet, but she says that’s a good thing because it allows her to play freely without pressure.

On the other hand, the end has already hit Herman.

“It's bittersweet,� she said. “I'm so excited that I have the opportunity to play at the next level and I'm really looking forward to that, but I'm just trying to soak in all the last moments here.�

The journey for Herman and Streuber hasn’t always been a smooth one. 

Herman just healed from a five-month foot injury where she broke the top of her foot, sprained her ankle and tore a tendon.

She isn’t sure exactly how the injury happened, but she thinks a ball hit her foot during a game. It wasn’t something she noticed at first, but as time went on and summer came around, she realized she had to stop playing. 

She’s nearly 100% now, but still goes to physical therapy regularly to ensure her foot is safe to play on.

And last season, Streuber had a back injury that caused pain and stiffness on the right side of her body. She had to regularly attend physical therapy to overcome the injury.

But a painful injury wasn’t the only thing Streuber had to work through throughout her high school softball career. She was determined to find a way to make it to the next level.

Recruitment Road

Streuber worked tirelessly to get noticed by schools in hopes of getting recruited, but the ride down recruitment road is a long one.

She kept her grades up, joined club teams and went to numerous softball camps to help make herself known to universities. 

“I wasn't in the first wave of recruiting,� Streuber said. “I thought that I would get more calls on September 1 than I did, because in high school and club, I was doing very well, but no college coaches were watching me. So, I kind of realized that all the camps I had been going to were kind of a waste, which was frustrating.�

Soon after, she began making reels showcasing her skills on social media and tagging colleges, along with emailing schools and recruiters. She also joined another team to go to tournaments with. 

It was there that she was finally noticed by a few colleges, including GCU, BYU and Oregon State.

Streuber documented her recruiting process on social media, hoping to help other athletes who were looking to get recruited, too.

Her videos went viral, and her social media presence blew up. She now has over 7,000 followers on X.

“I didn't think it was gonna blow up,� she said. “A couple people had reached out to me asking the same question, so I thought I'd answer them all online. And I kind of just thought I was speaking the truth that nobody seems to talk about. And it just went viral. And everyone was like, ‘Wow, why does nobody talk about this?’�

Since then, she’s gone on podcasts to share her story and advocate for other athletes.

“I'm glad that I was helping other athletes like me get to where they want to go,� she said.

Streuber committed to Oregon State last year when she went on an official visit to the school. 

Some may call it fate, but Streuber and her family were stuck in Corvallis for an extra five days after her visit due to a snowstorm that hit the area.

With the universe intervening and a first great impression, Streuber knew she was making the right choice.

“I was supposed to go on a visit to Fresno State right after that, but at that point, I kind of knew that I was going to commit to Oregon State, just based off of how much I loved it there and the offer and the coaches, so I committed right there while we were stuck in a snowstorm,� Streuber said.

CDO head coach Kelly Fowler says she is happy for Streuber and Herman to attend Div. I universities this fall.

“It's what they've wanted since about seventh grade,� Fowler said. “And, we made little goals along the way to keep that golden carrot moving in front of them, because it's easy to have setbacks. And 2020 was definitely a setback and we just kept moving through it and said, ‘Hey, one day we're gonna get out of this, this is not gonna wreck our future. Just keep moving.’ So, we’ve just moved through it.�

Softball sisters

Over the years, Streuber and Herman’s friendship has grown on the field and off. 

When they’re not playing together, they still spend a good chunk of their free time hanging out, watching movies, doing crafts and eating sushi.

“I think because we've just been with each other for so long, we just understand each other and we can look at each other and know what we're thinking without even saying it,� Streuber said. “So, it's like having a little twin on the field, but nobody knows.�

The two even want to go into the medical field after college, something that they’ve individually grown a passion for over the years.

Streuber plans on studying kinesiology to become a physical therapist, but is also open to becoming a pharmacist. Herman will study biology to become a pathologist or an anesthesiologist. 

As the duo work on keeping 4.0 GPAs in their last semester, they still have a few more softball games to win in the next two months in hopes of making it all the way in their final year.

Their next opponents for the rest of March include Casa Grande, Cienega and Maricopa high schools.

The softball season will officially conclude in May.

“I think this season is going amazing,� Streuber said. “Honestly, every year I've always been like, ‘Oh, yeah. I think we can win state this year,’ but this year, it's just different than all the rest. … As a team, I feel like we're all pretty much super tight and love hanging out with each other, so it just makes practice more fun and I think that we all have a common goal and it's to prepare for that last game at the end of the season.�

Fast Five with Amelia and Molly

Who is your softball idol?

Amelia: Danielle O'Toole-Trejo

Molly: Jessie Harper

What is your one must-have item on gameday?

Amelia: My sunglasses

Molly: My lucky pink bracelet. I found it in the ocean in Rocky Point when I was in third grade, and I've worn it ever since. It hasn't come off my wrist for any game or practice.

What is your softball pet peeve?

Amelia: Untucked jerseys or when a player doesn't run fully to the first base if they pop up or anything, because that could easily be a double.

Molly: Kneevage (where a player’s socks and pants don’t quite meet, leaving part of the knee exposed)

What is your current hype-up song?

Amelia: “Maria Maria� by Santana

Molly: “The Sweet Escape� by Gwen Stefani

What is your current favorite class?

Amelia: AP Statistics

Molly: Biotechnology