Baker softball's Griffith inks with Troy

BAKER — There were plenty of smiles to go around on Friday as Baker softball player Lauren Griffith celebrated signing scholarship papers with Troy University two days earlier.

Lauren, the daughter of Phillip and Beth Griffith, gave several reasons for choosing to sign with the Trojans.

“I like how it’s a small-school atmosphere and yet it’s a good DI school,” she said.  “I went to some of their camps this summer and I got to know coach (Melanie) Davis and her staff. And I really like their program.

“And I didn’t want to get too far from home because I wanted to be near my parents and at a place people could still come watch me play.”

Griffith is a great all-around player, but she’s best known as a pitcher for the Gators. She probably won’t get to pitch at Troy, and while she might miss being in the circle, she’s fine with the move.

“Any opportunity I get to play at the DI level is fine with me,” Griffith said. “I’m just excited to play the utility position.

“I play shortstop and outfield for my travel team so it won’t be that big of a difference (not pitching).”

Gator coach John Carlisle arrived at Baker and took over the softball team when Griffith was in eighth grade and has watched her develop into a top talent.

“This is my fifth year here (at Baker) and I know in my time here there have been very few that have gone on, if any, in any sport, to play at the Division I level, so that’s pretty huge,” he said. “It’s bigger than our softball program. It’s the school. It does the school a lot of pride because coming from a small school going to a big school.”

Carlisle paraphrased a term often used when discussing hard-working basketball players to describe Griffith.

“She’s like a field rat,” he said. “You hear the term gym rat for kids in basketball and stuff like that, but she’s just a field rat. She always wants to be out on that softball field hitting, fielding or pitching.

“She wants to be doing something on that softball field to get better, and here it is (paying off).”

Griffith will carry that field rat mentality to Troy.

“I know if I want something bad enough hard work will pay off,” she said. “I know I just have to keep working at what I want to achieve it.

“I still need to work on everything. I need to keep working on the fundamentals; hitting, fielding and everything.”

Making the transition from Class 2A high school softball to the Division I college came can be tough, but Carlisle is confident Griffith drive will allow her to do well.

“This is just beginning because I know when she gets to that next level she’s not going to stop,” he said. “She has that desire. She’s a very tough competitor so if somebody is in front of her she is going to push that person in front of her to the point she’s going to take over.

“I look for her to do good things for their program.”