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Entering her first season of varsity softball, Lauren Walker wasn't afraid of anything. Not even standing up to her older teammates.
The freshman pitcher knew she was ready for varsity ball, and she took the task seriously from the beginning. Only a week into Central York's season this spring, she was already talking about how she plans to play Division I college softball after high school.
Junior catcher Sam Bader was caught off guard at first, never really having the experience of being the battery mate of a pitcher with such conviction.
"She's one of the first thinking pitchers I've caught for," Bader said. "Usually pitchers just do what the coaches and the catcher tells them to do. Sometimes they might not like the call of whatever, but usually they'll throw it. Lauren really knows the game and knows her stuff.
"We struggled a little bit in the beginning of the season getting on the same page
because I have never really had a thinking pitcher before. I was used to controlling it. She was used to controlling her game. I've definitely had to make an adjustment to catch her. She's probably the hardest throwing pitcher I've ever caught for consistently. And she's a smart kid."
For Walker, it's not boldness as much as it is assuredness. The freshman knows what she's doing, and she's not going to listen to someone else who thinks otherwise just to keep up appearances.
That confidence -- along with a committed work ethic -- has earned her the respect
"She is so passionate that you can tell how much she loves it and how much heart she puts into it," junior shortstop Allison Burkhart said. "She hits her spots, and we have so much confidence in her. She's a freshman, and she just controls it."
Dazzling postseason
In six playoff games, the Panthers have yet to score more than three runs in one contest. They haven't needed to, as Walker's performance on the mound and Central's stellar defense have allowed the Panthers (19-5) to advance to Monday's 5 p.m. PIAA Class AAAA semifinal contest against District 7 champion Latrobe (20-2) at Penn State-Altoona.
Walker has consistently reached 63 mph with her fastball and has struck out at least eight batters in every postseason contest, totaling 69 in the six games. She has pitched three consecutive shutouts and has held opponents scoreless for the last 25 consecutive innings, using her equally dangerous riseball and change-up to complement her fastball and keep batters off guard.
Leading the Panthers further into the postseason than any other softball team in school history, Walker has displayed poise to go along with her power.
"It's not only the fact that she can throw hard and that she has command of her pitches," Central coach Dave Marsh said. "It's the way she carries herself. She's mature beyond her years, and the team really gravitates to that. When she's calm, we're calm.
"Even when we have a miscue behind her, she still just turns around and says: 'OK, let's get the next one.' And that really goes into it, too. She could have been one of those crazy kids that comes in here with a big future ahead of her, throwing really hard and limiting teams to a few hits and then lose her temper when errors are made behind her. But her demeanor has been an excellent calming factor on this team."
A better understanding
That doesn't mean there wasn't an adjustment period early on, particularly for Walker and her catcher.
The freshman pitcher said there was some "controversy" early in the season about what pitches to throw, but after several conversations and a better understanding of each other's styles, the two have worked together without issue.
"I like to think about what pitches to throw and express my opinion on it," Walker said. "The pitcher knows what pitch is best. But the catcher ultimately has the best view of everything, so they'll know a lot, too."
After a handful of midseason non-league losses and a YAIAA defeat at South Western, Walker and the Panthers broke a two-game losing streak and avenged the defeat to the Mustangs in early May with a 1-0 win in a 15-inning contest. Since then the Panthers are 7-1, and Walker and her fielders are yielding fewer than one run per game.
"We've gotten stronger as a group as we have gone through this," Walker said. "Now we're going through all this together, and it's making us stronger as a team. As we keep going, our heads are more in it, and we trust ourselves a little more. We know we'll either go down as a team or win as a team."
Walker's supporting cast in the field has avoided making an error in the last two games, and Burkhart, second baseman Lauren Miller, center fielder Meghan Rishel and first baseman Kelly Fink have all come up with big defensive plays in critical situations.
It's been Walker herself who has been her own defensive liability at times this postseason.
Twice against Warwick in the first round of the District 3 tournament and then again in the consolation final, Walker botched an easy throw to first base on a groundout to allow a base-runner.
Each time it happened, Walker stepped up her performance on the mound in the ensuing innings, and the Panthers won both games.
So maybe failure is the one thing of which Walker is afraid. But that's a fear she can understand. A fear she can control. As long as she doesn't give up a run, the Panthers will always have a chance to win.
Walker knows that's the truth. And she won't let anybody tell her otherwise.
smclernon@ydr.com; 771-2045
