Gators Freshman Haeger Gets Job Done in Home Debut
Thursday, February 16, 2012 | Softball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gators freshman pitcher Lauren Haeger is no stranger to big stages.
A well-seasoned junior and prep player, she dominated hitters and pitchers as a dual-threat standout at Deer Valley High in Peoria, Ariz. Two months ago Haeger was in the circle in South Africa when the U.S. Women's Junior National Team won gold at the IX/ISF World Championship against Japan.
Haeger struck out the final two batters in a complete-game win over the Japanese. The previous year Haeger played an instrumental role when Team USA won gold at the Pan American Games in Columbia.
So when Haeger stepped into the circle for the first pitch of her career at Katie Seashole Stadium on Wednesday night, no big deal, right?
“In the beginning, I was a little nervous. I'm not going to lie,'' Haeger said following Florida's 10-2 win over Jacksonville in the 2012 home opener.
Jacksonville's Kayla Ouellet led the game off with a single, but Haeger was able to retire the next three batters. In the second inning the Dolphins appeared to have Haeger on the ropes.
Megan Balding led off with a single and then Haeger walked Codi Kelly. After a strikeout for the first out of the inning, Brittany Eppley's single loaded the bases. Haeger made two previous starts during UF's trip to Tampa last weekend for the USF-Fairfield Invitational, but she looked in danger of a short home debut if things didn't turn around.
Haeger regrouped and not only retired the final two batters of the inning, but she retired eight consecutive Dolphins until Eppley's single to lead off the fifth. By that time the Gators led 5-0 and were well on their way to a sixth consecutive win to open the season.
“She started locating her pitches a lot better,'' Gators coach Tim Walton said. “I think that was the key early. Her pitches were up. Even though she is giving up base hits, if those pitches were down they were ground-ball outs.”
Haeger made adjustments to get out of trouble, including mixing more change-ups into her pitch selection. She ended up going the distance, limiting the Dolphins to four hits and two runs (none earned) over six innings. Haeger struck out seven and walked two for her second career win.
Teammate Kelsey Horton delivered Haeger a boost when she hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the second, only minutes after Haeger had returned to the dugout following her shaky second.
Horton could tell a difference in Haeger the rest of the game.
“It was good for me to give Lauren the confidence to go out there and pitch with a lead,'' Horton said. “She was smiling a little bit more. That's always good to see.”
With sophomore Hannah Rogers moving into the role of staff ace following a 36-win freshman season and the departure of Stephanie Brombacher, Haeger will play a vital role in how well the No. 1-ranked Gators do this season.
Besides her work in the circle, Haeger plays first base when not pitching. She was 1-for-3 with a walk on Wednesday.
Walton is still trying to determine the right combination to maximize Haeger's dual-threat abilities.
“I think it's fair to say that she is doing well,'' Walton said. “She has a long way to go to get where her location needs to be and to be able to hit the pitches. We're trying to figure out if she can do both. I know talent-wise she can do both, but I don't know if in the [sequence] of a game if she can hit, pitch, run bases and take another game and go back in and pitch.
“We're trying to figure out what exactly kind of physical toll that's going to take on her body here early.”
Walton had no qualms about throwing Haeger into the circle in Florida's home opener. With Rogers getting extended work in the USF tournament due to a game being delayed due to rain and five games in three days, he opted to start Haeger in front of an energized crowd of 809.
“I wanted to challenge Lauren and give her a little bit of flavor,'' he said.
Haeger's right arm did the rest after Horton's blast and a three-run fourth inning provide her plenty of wiggle room.
Two runs scored on shortstop Cheyenne Coyle's throwing error in the fourth, but Haeger quickly regrouped to retire the final five batters she faced.
The win might not be as memorable as some of the ones she has experienced on the international stage, but it was one she won't forget any time soon.
“Today was definitely really exciting, my first game at home in a Gator uniform,'' she said. “I felt the pressure a little bit, but once I started getting going, it felt a lot easier. I felt a lot better at the end.”
