Leadership is a quality that all coaches, at any level and in any sport, hope to get from a few key players each season. It’s an intangible that helps a team define the path to victory as well as deal with the agony of defeat.
There are years when leadership is harder to muster for a coach, but when it comes time to compete and play the games, leadership is a must.
For the Lafayette Lady Commodore fastpitch softball team, junior catcher Corey Hollis was able to provide the necessary leadership, poise and competitive drive that not only helped keep her team together when times were the toughest, but also when things were going well. Her passion for the game, coupled with an excellent season at the plate and leading the game from her catching position, made her invaluable to a team that won its first district title.
It was her leadership that also allowed Hollis to become the player so many thought she could be and this year’s EAGLE Player of the Year for the 2011 All-Area softball team.
The way LHS coach Melinda Scruggs looks at it, Hollis made the difference for a team that had to overcome some obstacles in order to achieve at the level several expected them to this year. Her ability to call pitches and set the team’s defense improved the Lady Commodores’ fortunes and, in the process, made the team even tighter on and off the field. (June 16, 2011, Page 1B)
