First Basemen Lauren Coleman is on a tear this season as she has gotten off to a hot start.
Coleman is ranked in the top five in Sun Belt conference with five home runs while posting a batting average of .361 with 26 hits in 71 plate appearances.
Coleman is ranked third in the Sun Belt Conference with 25 RBIs, and Coleman’s hot start earned her Sun Belt Softball Player of the Week of Feb. 10.
Coleman’s effort is a part of a larger one from the Georgia State softball team that has started off its first season in the Sun Belt conference returning six starters and 13 letter winners.
The Sun Belt is one of the best softball conferences in the country, and the conference finished sixth in RPI last season. This season the conference featured two top 20 teams in the NFCA preseason poll heading into this spring.
Coleman, the 2013 All-CAA second team recipient, received high praise from her head coach, Roger Kincaid.
“She has a great understanding of the strike zone. She is consistently one of the best hitters on the team and has developed into a very good power hitter,” Kincaid said.
Kincaid described his first baseman as a “perfectionist” and a hard worker. He says Coleman will do anything to improve her game.
“I think that my hitting has gotten much better,” Coleman said. “I have gotten better at handling the pressed at the plate.”
Last season, Coleman displayed her calm and cool demeanor at the plate by setting a single-season school record, drawing 53 walks and finished fifth in the nation in walks per game.
Coleman understands the importance of her base percentage level and makes an effort to keep an eye on it.
Coleman has obviously had much individual success at Georgia State so far, but her only focus is how well the team is performing and what she can do to help.
“I feel I bring different aspects to the team, and Coach Kincaid always tells us that our role is what we make of it,” Coleman said. “How you want to contribute to the team is what your role is.”
Pitcher Kaitlyn Medlam knows firsthand why it is hard to pitch against Coleman, calling the pos. “driven.”
“You have to be very selective throwing to her as she is really patient,” Medlam said. “She’s not going to swing unless its a strike, and she’s really good at waiting on her pitch.”
Coleman has devoted countless time in the offseason conditioning, lifting and studying different aspects of the game which has led her to success this season. Coleman said her older brother, Adam, has the most to do with her success.
“My motivation comes from my brother always beating me at sports when I was younger,” Coleman said. “It made me fight to win and know what hard work really is.”
Coleman has not just improved at hitting, but has worked on increasing her on base percentage from .436 in 2012 to .480 in 2013.
More importantly, Coleman has noticeably improved at becoming a leader of the team, according to Kincaid.
“When she first got to Georgia State, she was 100 percent lead-by-example player,” Kincaid said. “However, as a junior, she has developed into a much more vocal leader. We needed someone to step up and be another leader this year.”
Kincaid said Coleman has risen to the challenge and her becoming a leader has been vital for the team.
“She’s a upperclassmen now, and she has really stepped up as leader on and off the field,” Medlam said.
Coleman’s and her team have their eyes set on hoisting their first ever Sun Belt Conference championship as well as a NCAA Women’s College World Series appearance, something Coleman called what could be the season’s “perfect ending.”
