When she was reassigned to teach elementary school, Tiffany Rowan used it as an opportunity to recruit.
“I saw this fifth grade girl and I noticed how she caught the ball and knew where to throw the ball and I thought this not a typical fifth grader,” said Rowan, the Head Coach of Sayville‘s softball team.
Two years later, that girl (Lyndsey Shaw) was starting on her varsity team, playing a critical role as they defeated Carey in the Class A Long Island Championship, before being defeated in the state finals.
Fast forward to today and Shaw is committed to the University at Albany. She is the reigning RBI leader on Long Island with an incredible 45 in only 22 games. She also batted .606 and smacked 17 doubles, 6 triples and 6 HR. She will play a crucial role in determining how far the team goes, as she is also the catcher and tasked with handling the pitching staff.
She speaks with passion when talking about the game of softball. She even keeps folders on her iPhone of how to pitch the opposing hitters. She is the quintessential leader of a championship-caliber team.
“When she’s gone,” said Rowan, “we can’t just replace her production with one player–it will most likely take three players,” she added.
Shaw has always been physically gifted. What took her to the next level was the competition within her own household. Her twin brother, Will, is the center fielder at St. John the Baptist and batted over .400 last season and is committed to Quinnipiac University.
She noted they have a great relationship and they provide tips to each other. Lyndsey even played baseball with him until she was 12-years-old, finally making the switch at the request of Rowan.
“I wish I had the drive he had,” she said in regard to her brother. “He’s always had to work hard to get what he’s earned,” she added.
Sayville has aspirations of competing for a Long Island championship, but the road will not be easy as East Islip, the reigning Class AA champs will now be in their league, along with Babylon and Mount Sinai, two other dominant programs.
“Having to play both is a problem,” said Shaw. “We will have to go through both of them to win the county,” she said.
She is confident in their ace Maddie Recker, who has pitched most of the team’s games the past two seasons. Also, she has some protection in the lineup with freshman Brooke Schiebe batting clean up.
They will open up the season tomorrow, Tuesday March 20, against Southold. She is excited for the prospect of playing such great competition in the league, and it should make for some exciting play all season in League 7.
