Next week, we’ll announce our 2015-16 FloSoftball High School All-American Teams and this week we’ll introduce you to some and reveal why they are considered as the best in the nation.

We start today with a senior-to-be who had an unbelievable year on her way to earning Gatorade State Player of the Year honors…

***

PLAYER: LAUREN BURKE

High School: Marist Catholic (Eugene, Oregon)

Club Team: Beverly Bandits-Conroy 16U

Grad Year: 2017

Position(s): Shortstop/Utility

Height: 5-foot-8

GPA: 3.06

College: Oregon

Team Record: 24-6 (4th place in State)

INDIVIDUAL HONORS/AWARDS:
2016: Gatorade State Softball Player of the Year; 1st Team All-State and 5A State Player of the Year; 1st Team All-Conference; Conference Player of the Year; Oregon Prep Athlete Softball Player of the Year.

2015: 1st Team 5A All State; 1st Team All-Conference; 1st Place Boulder IDT (Colorado) with Beverly Bandits (Conroy 18U); 5th Place PGF Nationals; MaxPreps/NFCA Player of the Week for May 9-15, 2015.

2014: 1st Team All State; 1st Team All-Conference and Co-Conference Player of the Year; 3rd Team NFCA All American.  

2016 HIGH SCHOOL STATS:

Batting Average: .701; On-Base Percentage: .727; Slugging Percentage: 1.476; Hits: 75-107; Runs: 67; Doubles: 18, Home Runs: 21; RBI: 59; Walks-To-Strikeout Ratio: 12-1; Steals: 24-for-26.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
Played travel ball for Mike White (current head coach of the University of Oregon) for four years. started at age 7… member of four ASA state championship teams (Eugene Thunder and NW Bullets)… broke Kayla Braud’s (Alabama All-American) Marist High School all-time batting average record (.701 to .645)… broke Nyree White’s (Stanford, USA Junior National Team) Marist High School all-time home record with 21 (was 12)… tied a National Record (2nd) for most home runs in a game (4) against Eagle Point High School on April 29, 2016… hit three home runs in a game against St. Helens on May 16, 2016.  

COACH'S COMMENTS:

“I’m incredibly proud of Lauren,” says her father, Jon, who is also her head coach at Marist. “She’s always played on teams with girls two years older than her, so she’s had to fight, scrap, and outwork to get on the playing field.  I think that’s why she’s so determined to be the best now.”

“Nothing was ever handed to her.  She had to work for everything she’s earned.  I’m so proud that she’s earned an athletic scholarship from the University of Oregon as well.  All of the hours in the gym, on the field, and in the field house have really paid off for her.  Lauren works very hard to get good grades while balancing a social life outside of softball.  As her coach, she’s a relentless competitor, and she leads her team by example.”

OFF THE FIELD:  
•    Lauren started playing tennis when she was four years old with her mom and still can pick up a racket and play well today. 

•    Her family lives on a 12-acre farm and Lauren has done her fair share of cleaning horse stalls, bucking hay, and the ordinary chores of a teenager growing up on a farm! Says the Oregon athlete, "I have four pet goats, lots of chickens, two dogs, three cats, and a horse."

•    Lauren volunteers at Meals On Wheels in Eugene as a part of her community service.  Meals on Wheels is available to people over the age of 60 and their spouses who cannot get out due to illness or advanced age and who are not eating properly, regardless of their income.

5 QUESTIONS WITH LAUREN:

Of all your personal accomplishments, which one are you most proud of?
I've worked really hard academically and athletically to achieve my goals, so having the opportunity to play softball at Oregon is probably what I'm most proud of.

Hitting .700-plus is unheard of… to what do you attribute being able to have such a high average?
Being the lead-off batter, my goal is to get on base every at bat, whether it's with a hit or a walk. I tried to be more discipline at the plate and waited for the pitch I knew I wanted to hit. I was confident at the plate, and I knew that my teammates would have my back whether I got on base or I didn't so I went up to bat with an aggressive approach.

And you hit 21 homers!  Would you describe yourself as more of a power hitter or a high average hitter?
My freshmen and sophomore year I did tons of bunting and slapping and would hit away occasionally; I wanted to be a "triple threat." My goal my junior year was to hit for power, but I would take what the defense would give me. If they played me deep I would bunt, and if they played me in I would hit. So ultimately I have become more of a power hitter, but I use the tools I was taught—bunting and slapping—to be a high average hitter.

Being from Eugene, was it a no-brainer to commit to the Ducks or was that almost a negative in that you considered going away from home to “blaze your own path?”
I started playing softball for Coach White when I was seven years old, until he got the job at Oregon, and loved the game ever sense. I knew I wanted to play college softball, and getting the opportunity to play close to home is a dream come true. Oregon had always been my dream school, and I can't wait to play close to my friends and my family.

Have you gotten to know any of the current Duck players and do you look forward to playing with them next year?
I have met a majority of the team at camps and met lots of the incoming freshmen that I'm excited to be on the team with. I played on a team with Miranda Elish last year and I'm excited to play with her again at Oregon. I'll get to play with Jenna Lilly for a year and she has helped with my hitting over the summer. All of the Oregon players and future Oregon players I've met have been awesome and so welcoming!

VIDEO:

Here’s Lauren and Jon Burke in a video clip done by KMTR in Eugene in April 2016: