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There's the mighty bat of Jenna Rocha. And the mighty stick of Jenna Rocha.

She could be the most feared hitter in the lineup for the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High softball team, batting out of the cleanup spot.

She is the most feared forward on the field for the Falcon field hockey team.

At the moment, Rocha's swinging of the stick has enabled the D-R field hockey team to once again prosper, having just one loss through 16 regular-season matches heading into the MIAA Tournament; to being the second-best team in the South Coast Conference; the seniors securing their fourth-straight postseason appearance.

"We're a very committed team, there's great chemistry," Rocha was saying over the weekend. "We feel that we can beat anyone." Especially with the ball on Rocha's stick.

The Falcons won eight matches and tied seven others, not losing until their final match of the regular season, a one-goal affair at Eastern Athletic Conference and neighborhood rival Somerset.

A two-time, All-South Coast Conference selection, it's not just the scoring skills, the playmaking, the athleticism that Rocha brings to the field for the Falcons, according to coach Roberta Cordeiro, its her state of mind and energy - "she holds herself accountable," said Cordeiro, in her ninth and final season as head coach. "She's such a factor, and on top of that, she's a great kid and fun to be around."

The Falcon senior is a rarity in the illustrious history of D-R field hockey players, a four-year starter. She led the Falcons in scoring this season with 13 goals and six assists and through her career, she has 22 goals and 13 assists.

And to think that she never had a field hockey stick in her hands until her freshman year at D-R.

Rocha might be more renown around D-R and the SCC as the smooth-fielding shortstop and slugging hitter for the Falcon softball team. Consider this, as a junior, she batted .388 in the SCC, one of the best softball conferences in the Commonwealth, drove in 19 runs, scored 19 runs and committed just one error.

But, even with accomplishments and accolades (she also plays summer softball for the Mass. Fire & Ice under-18 team) like that in the spring season, Rocha might consider herself to be a true field hockey convert.

"When I was a freshman, I needed a fall sport, I wanted to play something," said Rocha. "It was all very confusing at first, the rules, how to handle the stick, the dribbling, but I got the hang of it.

"I wanted a fast-paced game to play and I found it to be very competitive and fun. It was different, it grew on me right away."

Rocha started her career at midfield, but moved to forward, to be on the attack, due to her aggressive nature and athleticism as a sophomore. "I was never one to play a defensive role," chuckled Rocha. Now Rocha, one of six seniors in the starting lineup, want to erase the first round nightmare that has engulfed the Falcons - bowing in the opening round of 2008 MIAA Tournament at Dennis-Yarmouth, falling in the first match of the 2007 MIAA Tournament in double overtime to Oliver Ames.

The Falcons will be one of five area schools heading into postseason play, being joined by Hockomock League champion Mansfield (14-1-3), Hockomock members King Philip (7-7-4) and Foxboro (6-5-7) along with Old Colony League kingpin Attleboro High (12-3-3).

"Softball might be her main sport, but she's become a terrific field hockey player," added Cordeiro of the Rehoboth resident. "She knows where to be before the ball gets there, that's because she's a natural athlete."

Rocha scores goals on scrambles, on partial breakaways, on re-directions. And some of the strength that she gets in smacking her Cranberry model stick, the one that was in her hands as a Falcon freshman and never left it, is because of her swinging a softball bat.

"Maybe a little bit of that has helped, but I think that having played golf with my dad a little helped," said Rocha. "A lot of times when you're swinging at the ball with the stick, a lot depends on the defense, where the ball is, even the field conditions, because all of the fields are so different."

What is different about Rocha is her positive energy and attitude, "she's always smiling," said Cordeiro. "She's a hard worker, but she doesn't take herself too seriously. She's a nice, down-to-earth kid."

Strangely, once the field hockey season ends for Rocha, she spends the winter season in conditioning workouts and training for softball. With the Fire and Ice softball team this past summer, she traveled to New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and spots all through New England for showcase tournaments.

Rocha is considering Wheaton, Stonehill and Assumption for college and would like to, possibly, have a dual athletic career, the fall for field hockey, the spring for softball.

"I have to admit it, field hockey has really grown on me," said Rocha, who cajoled her younger sister, Jillian, a D-R sophomore, into playing the fall sport. "I try to be a positive person and have fun in what I'm doing, maybe that's helped me in my field hockey career.

"I really kind of went into it with an open mind, to try a new sport. I really like the action, I like the challenge."

PETER GOBIS can be reached at 508-236-0375 or at pgobis@thesunchronicle.com.