Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Ballplayer catches the winning spirit

Slugger Lauren Elgar pushes herself and her team to get serious about success and the chance for college scholarships.

By TERRY JONES
Published March 3, 2006

NORTHDALE - Lauren Elgar is serious about softball this year.

She no longer laughs and clowns around at practice and has bought into first-year coach Al Alcada's idea that the Gaither Cowboys have the horses to become one of the best teams in the area and state.

The sophomore catcher leads the team behind the plate and at the plate. At practice, the 16-year-old pushes herself and her teammates to the limit. She wants to win.

So far she has a batting average of .636 and leads the Cowboys in power hitting with four home runs, a triple and 10 doubles, as of last Friday. She also has 24 RBIs.

"Lauren is a slugger," Alcada said. "She has really gotten serious about her game this season and her stats and play shows it. Her arm is like a rocket. She has been throwing out runners at all three bases. She also calls defenses and pitches."

Although she has been playing organized baseball and softball since the age of 5, Elgar had not thought much about playing her sport in college. She now believes she is capable of earning financial aid by playing college ball.

"That has been the major difference between my attitude from last year to this," she said. "Coach Alcada has developed a new attitude at Gaither. He has us believing we can succeed all the way to college."

Realizing the importance of academics in earning a scholarship, she takes honors courses to prepare for the next level. Currently, she carries a weighted GPA of 4.2.

Elgar started her career playing with Northside Little League T-ball teams, playing with the boys at age 5. She continued to play baseball until she was 9, when she switched over to softball.

She stayed with Little League softball for about three years before joining a travel-ball club, and still plays year-round with a team called the Lunatics.

Last year as a freshman, she started the Cowboys' season on the bench as the backup catcher. As the season progressed, she won the starting job and continues to make it difficult for any challenges for her position.

Because the Cowboys depend on defense to stay in games, keeping them close to be able to use a potent attack in the end to win, a sharp catcher is essential.

"Our pitching is consistent, but we don't get 12-14 strikeouts per game, so most of the time opponents put the ball in play," Alcada said. "That means we have to be sharp on defense consistently. Our kids are young, but they are good defensive players."

In addition to the skill needed to maintain a strong defense, tight-knit unity is essential. Alcada says a smooth-flowing defense requires good communication and that requires unity.

"A major component missing was the family concept," he said. "The girls had to learn to play as one, and that requires trust. The better they know each other, the smoother the communication."

Elgar has her definition of how the Cowboys are putting that together.

"We are all friends," she said. "Off the field and on weekends, you rarely see one of us alone. We hang out at the mall, go to movies together or work together on homework. We are almost like a pack."

[Last modified March 2, 2006, 13:56:08]