A year ago, Cal State Fullerton softball player Missy Coombes began her sophomore season with high hopes.

Coombes had hoped to improve on an impressive freshman season that included a spot on the all-Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. team. She hit .336 that year, third-best on the Titan roster, and led the team with 38 RBIs.

But as her sophomore season progressed, Coombes' dreams of success waned. Instead of having her usual high-energy level, Coombes was constantly fatigued. She had a difficult time staying awake in class. In the outfield, she found it hard to concentrate, even to the point where just picking up the ball seemed too much.

And, although she ate the same amount as always, Coombes, who is 5-feet-6 1/2, dropped from a sturdy 150 to a scrawny 130 pounds. Though her arms and legs had gotten very thin, her stomach began to protrude, as if she were pregnant (she wasn't).

Ten months later, after weeks of continual frustration with her game as well as her generally poor outlook on life, Coombes, on the insistance by her parents, went to see her family physician. Ultrasound tests revealed a large mass within her abdominal cavity.

A week later, on Nov. 18, doctors removed an 18-pound ovarian tumor. The biopsy showed the tumor was benign.

"The week before surgery, they told me there was an 80% chance that the tumor was benign, a 20% chance that it was cancerous," Coombes said. "I had a week to think about it. I had a week to think the best and to think the worst. I had a week to think about not having too long to live . . .

"I evaluated everything, my life, why I was on this earth, everything. . . . In that situation, you realize what's really important.

"Once it was over, I realized the only way to live, is to live life to the fullest. I'm trying to do that in everything I do. You never know whether you'll be around tomorrow."

Today, Coombes is almost fully recovered, although she occasionally feels twinges of pain along her side and stomach, especially when she plays softball.

Has it bothered her game? Not one bit.

Coombes, a first baseman, is the Titans' leading hitter this season, batting .516 (16-for-31). In nine games, Coombes leads the team in doubles (four), putouts (seven), and has three stolen bases. Last week, in a 3-1 loss to Utah, Coombes went four for four.

But the most memorable moment--for Coombes, her parents or her coaches-- was her first hit this season, a double in the Titans' season opener against Northridge.