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Photo by Kyle Parmley.
Mountain Brook's Lauren Gilbert (30) throws to first base during a game between Mountain Brook and Oak Mountain on March 21 at Oak Mountain High School.
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Photo by Kyle Parmley.
Mountain Brook's Lindsay Davis throws out the first pitch before a game between Mountain Brook and Oak Mountain on March 21 at Oak Mountain High School.
There is no hiding the fact that the Mountain Brook High School softball program is no longer at its peak.
A regional appearance has seemed far-fetched since the likes of Courtney Shea and Rebecca Blitz graduated four years ago and went on to make significant contributions at Auburn and Indiana, respectively.
This spring, the Spartans fell short in their first 12 games before notching their first win against Huffman a month into the season.
Third-year coach Karly Bergeron doesn’t shy away from where the program is on the field. But she is putting in countless hours at all levels in an attempt to reclaim some of that past success in future years. She has spent time putting on skills clinics and pushing participating at the recreational level.
But to label Mountain Brook softball a failure over the last few years would be missing the point and the bigger picture, in the eyes of Bergeron and the rest of the team.
For the Spartans, it’s more than softball.
Someone to call
Mountain Brook senior Lauren Gilbert has been playing softball since she was in first grade and has pitched since fourth grade. Initially, she thought that everyone was required to learn to pitch, so she went along with it. Eight years later, the lefty still calls the pitching circle home.
“I just thought that’s what you had to do, so I signed up for pitching lessons and here we are,” she said.
Gilbert was pulled up to the varsity team during her eighth grade year and has been one of the Spartans’ primary pitchers since her ninth grade season. Her best pitch is the curveball, and the changeup is effective when “it’s on.” This season, Gilbert has added offense to her plate for the first time in high school, which is “fun and kind of different.”
But Gilbert’s softball exploits aren’t what stand out the most, and that’s fine with her.
“It’s funny, because softball has never been my world,” she said.
Her resume reads like a list of accolades for entire teams, let alone an individual. Gilbert excels in the classroom and participates with several organizations. She boasts a 4.4 GPA and score of 34 on the ACT. Among other activities, she’s involved with the Youth Leadership Forum of Birmingham, Alabama Youth in Government, First Priority and the Justice Club.
Gilbert is an active member of Brookwood Baptist Church and has a desire to enter the world of counseling and ministry some day. All of that adds to the perfect leader for Mountain Brook’s softball team.
“Every single day, she’s the same person,” Bergeron said. “She’s always got a very positive attitude. On everything, she’s got a positive outlook. She’s a great leader. She has been the entire time I’ve been coaching her. The girls look up to her. She’s a great role model.”
Catcher Abby Russell is the only other senior on the team. For Russell and Gilbert, doing whatever they can to help the team — on and off the field — is what it’s all about now, even if the wins haven’t come often.
Gilbert said, “Kind of suffering together has brought us to a place where Abby and I are like, ‘Have a good attitude and enjoy the time you get to spend with your teammates.’”
‘A huge asset’
Whether it’s a game or practice, Gilbert views the two hours she gets to spend with her teammates each day as an opportunity to love and serve. She takes that ideal to its extreme.
“The thing I’ve found is my teammates don’t want this great amazing pitcher,” she said. “I mean, they do, but it’s not really what they need. They need somebody that can explain to them how to do natural logs [logarithms] at 11:00 at night because they have a test the next day.”
No matter the team’s final record, Gilbert is proud to be associated with the group of girls she plays with.
She said, “This team is special. I guess every team would say that, but this team is special because they have a perspective that far exceeds and a maturity that far exceeds people who are just on this field to get hits and field balls.”
Bergeron is going to have to find a new workhorse in the circle next season. But Gilbert’s impact on the team goes beyond that.
“She is definitely a huge asset that’s not going to be with us next year,” Bergeron said. “I’m hoping we have a couple more that can take on that leadership role that she has.”
As for the future, Gilbert has narrowed her college choices to Samford and North Carolina. Both her parents received degrees from UNC and she has already been accepted into a pre-ministry program at Samford. She said she will remember fondly her days as a Spartans softball player, but especially the moments that went beyond the white lines.
“It has been such a cool opportunity to learn what it looks like to be about more than softball,” she said.
National Lindsay Davis Day
Mountain Brook celebrated World Down Syndrome Day on March 21 by dubbing it “National Lindsay Davis Day.” That afternoon, the Spartans played at Oak Mountain. Davis, a sophomore at Mountain Brook who has Down syndrome, was one of three students who threw out the game’s first pitch. Davis serves as a team manager for the Spartans softball team.
