By Brad Welborn, Louisiana College sports information
The first year of college can be a trying time for any freshman. For many, it is the first time away from the comforts of a home cooked meal at the end of the day, the familiar surroundings of family and friends, and of course, the laundry service.
For three Louisiana College freshman softball players, the adjustment to college life has been a quick one, as they are already leaving their marks on Lady Wildcat softball.
Taylor Hammock, Sami Walters, and Shea Smith have quickly become staples in the top half of the LC lineup. The shortstop, second baseman, and right fielder; all freshmen, all starting, all from the same area of northwest Louisiana.
Hammock spent her high school years playing at Calvary Baptist in Shreveport, while Walters went to school just 17 miles away at North DeSoto in Stonewall. Smith was a little farther out at North Webster High School in Springhill but all three spent their high school careers crossing paths on the softball diamonds multiple times a season.
The path to the starting lineup started for each in their first semester on campus with early morning workouts.
“I can definitely say that we work hard and our coaches have a lot of expectations from us,” Smith said. “Starting in the first semester, we had workouts and were waking up at 4 a.m. doing a lot of pushups, sprints, and stadium. Through that you get to bond with your teammates and they’re picking you up when you might not want to finish, and I think we’ve brought that aspect over into the spring.”
With a new team come new coaches, and new coaches bring new and different expectations. That was the biggest adjustment that each said they had to make leading up to the season. Learning what was expected of them when it comes to their approach at the plate or how they field the ball on defense.
With new surroundings and new expectations in a successful program like Louisiana College, one might think that the pressure of it all would be too much to handle for players so young. For Hammock and Walters especially, pressure is nothing new to them, because of the experience they had playing on the biggest stage in Louisiana High School softball the LHSAA Fastpitch 56 State Tournament in Sulphur.
Hammock and Walters are both coming off state championship wins for their school last season, and Walters back-to-back titles with the Griffins. The atmosphere they excelled in there made making the transition to college softball that much easier.
“Our first home game I was so scared,” Walters said. “It really felt like I was back at Sulphur again. With the thousands of people that are watching you down there, there’s not as much pressure here because you know you’re able to perform in those big situations like that. Knowing that I can play through that is going to help me a lot, especially in the post season.”
Sami Walters
All three players are hitting better than .300 on the season. Walters is second on the team in hits with 20, Smith leads the team in home runs and ranks second in RBI with 14, and Hammock is tied for the team lead in doubles and leads the team in assists with 31 from her spot at shortstop.
Part of why not only these three players, but the entire freshman recruiting class, have been able to fit in so quickly is the leadership of veterans like Jordan (Jordi) Mason a Mattie Stine. Mason and Stine are “great spiritual leaders” according to Walters, who talked about the passion and caring that each share for their teammates.
“It’s great to know that your teammates don’t only care about you and how your doing on the team or on the field, they truly care about your heart as well and what’s going on in your life,” Walters said.
Shea Smith
Smith echoed the sentiment towards her teammates, “Mattie and Jordi are awesome. They really helped me to realize that my purpose is more than just softball, that my identity is in Christ, and not out on the field. That no matter what goes on, whether I get on base or if I strike out, God’s still going to love me. If you can stay strong in your faith then God’s going to be with you tomorrow, even if you cant step out on to the field.”
Taylor Hammock
The quick connection between the freshmen and Mason was a natural one. The senior left fielder played her high school ball at North Caddo in Vivian, in the same northwest corner of Louisiana as Hammock, Walters, and Smith.
“All the freshmen come out and work hard everyday,” Mason said of her newest teammates. “They don’t doubt their ability and they’re very confident in what they do, and they’re just willing to learn. They aren’t the type that says ‘I’m going to do it my way.’ They’re willing to adjust to what we want done, and what the coaches want done and they’re buying into that.”
The way that Mason shows her teammates how she cares is something that she saw from a former Wildcat player, Jade Johnson.
“No matter what happened I knew she was going to point me back to Christ and ultimately that’s where we want to take our freshmen,” Mason said. “It’s not so much about a win on the field but a win in eternity. We try and remind them that through the downfalls and the strikeouts or whatever it may be, that this is just temporary and just to shine that light back to Him. Mattie and I have received encouragement over the years, and we want to be that for these freshmen.”
The Lady Wildcats are off to one of their best starts in years, having won 10 games in a row with a 14-2 overall record and 11-1 mark in American Southwest Conference play. The goal for the season, as it is every season, is winning a conference championship at the beginning of May and a run at the NCAA championship. LC will play three home series in March and one in April before ending the season on the road at the University of Texas at Dallas on April 21-22.
