Lynn Burke
05-26-2007, 06:47 PM
A perfect fit for Gloucester
By Dave Johnson | djohnson@dailypress.com (djohnson@dailypress.com)
GLOUCESTER -- Taylor Saulman won’t turn 18 until October, by which point she’ll be a freshman at the University of Mary Washington. There’s no need to remind Gloucester softball coach Red Lindsay what might have been had Saulman’s parents not decided to send their daughter to school a year early.
Taylor would only be a junior now, which means she’d be back next year.
“Yeah,” Lindsay said, offering a tone that makes it clear he’s considered this before. “That would be very nice.”
Instead, Saulman is beginning that final phase of her high school career in which every game might be her last. The Dukes, fresh off their third consecutive Peninsula District championship, will go against Lake Taylor Monday afternoon in an Eastern Region quarterfinal. And after last spring’s disappointing first-round exit, she wants her last go-round to be
different.
“Last year, we were undefeated and everybody thought we would do well in regionals,” said Saulman, Gloucester’s starting first baseman and No. 3 hitter. “And we were upset (by Princess Anne) in the first game. But this year, losing that game probably does help us be more prepared for what we’re facing. Losing wasn’t fun, but it will help us.
“We worked our butts off to get where we are. We practice hard every day. This year, having a young team, we knew it would be difficult. But I’m really proud of where we’ve gotten.”
Saulman is one of the main reasons Gloucester (20-2) is where it is. She’s batting .371, and 15 of her 26 hits have gone for extra bases. She leads the team with
32 RBI, or 1.5 per game. She’ll clobber it when she has to, or she’ll do whatever’s necessary to move the runner over.
Here are two examples from separate games against Woodside. Six weeks ago, with no score in the bottom of the third inning, Saulman crushed a two-run homer in a game the Dukes won 3-1. In the district semifinals 11 days ago, as Gloucester led 2-0 with a runner at third and one out, she was perfectly content to ground out to second and drive in a run.
“She has a good understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish,” Lindsay said. “She’s a very good situational hitter, so we can do things with her depending on outs or people on base. It’s not just going up there and swinging a bat, and she understands the situations.”
Actually, Saulman understands a lot of things, both on and off the field.
She’s a solid student who has been accepted at Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, where she plans to follow a pre-med curriculum. She originally wanted to be a veterinarian, but now she wants to get into pediatrics.
Along with senior center fielder Samantha Johnson, Saulman serves as team captain. While that’s often an honorary title, Saulman knew it would be a particularly important role this year. Gloucester went into the season starting three freshmen.
“I tried to help calm them down, because I know nerves can get you, especially when you’re younger,” Saulman said. “As a captain, I take it upon myself to be there for the girls and urge them on and, if they mess up, pat them on the back. I
remember when I was a freshman, I had seniors doing that for me, and it really helped.”
By Dave Johnson | djohnson@dailypress.com (djohnson@dailypress.com)
GLOUCESTER -- Taylor Saulman won’t turn 18 until October, by which point she’ll be a freshman at the University of Mary Washington. There’s no need to remind Gloucester softball coach Red Lindsay what might have been had Saulman’s parents not decided to send their daughter to school a year early.
Taylor would only be a junior now, which means she’d be back next year.
“Yeah,” Lindsay said, offering a tone that makes it clear he’s considered this before. “That would be very nice.”
Instead, Saulman is beginning that final phase of her high school career in which every game might be her last. The Dukes, fresh off their third consecutive Peninsula District championship, will go against Lake Taylor Monday afternoon in an Eastern Region quarterfinal. And after last spring’s disappointing first-round exit, she wants her last go-round to be
different.
“Last year, we were undefeated and everybody thought we would do well in regionals,” said Saulman, Gloucester’s starting first baseman and No. 3 hitter. “And we were upset (by Princess Anne) in the first game. But this year, losing that game probably does help us be more prepared for what we’re facing. Losing wasn’t fun, but it will help us.
“We worked our butts off to get where we are. We practice hard every day. This year, having a young team, we knew it would be difficult. But I’m really proud of where we’ve gotten.”
Saulman is one of the main reasons Gloucester (20-2) is where it is. She’s batting .371, and 15 of her 26 hits have gone for extra bases. She leads the team with
32 RBI, or 1.5 per game. She’ll clobber it when she has to, or she’ll do whatever’s necessary to move the runner over.
Here are two examples from separate games against Woodside. Six weeks ago, with no score in the bottom of the third inning, Saulman crushed a two-run homer in a game the Dukes won 3-1. In the district semifinals 11 days ago, as Gloucester led 2-0 with a runner at third and one out, she was perfectly content to ground out to second and drive in a run.
“She has a good understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish,” Lindsay said. “She’s a very good situational hitter, so we can do things with her depending on outs or people on base. It’s not just going up there and swinging a bat, and she understands the situations.”
Actually, Saulman understands a lot of things, both on and off the field.
She’s a solid student who has been accepted at Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, where she plans to follow a pre-med curriculum. She originally wanted to be a veterinarian, but now she wants to get into pediatrics.
Along with senior center fielder Samantha Johnson, Saulman serves as team captain. While that’s often an honorary title, Saulman knew it would be a particularly important role this year. Gloucester went into the season starting three freshmen.
“I tried to help calm them down, because I know nerves can get you, especially when you’re younger,” Saulman said. “As a captain, I take it upon myself to be there for the girls and urge them on and, if they mess up, pat them on the back. I
remember when I was a freshman, I had seniors doing that for me, and it really helped.”