A hearty chuckle followed the word yes when Lauren Pike was asked if it would be cool to have a full-time job playing sports when she finishes school.
It may have a been a light moment as she talked to The Western Star about her love for baseball, but this 12-year-old would probably give it serious consideration if she could get away with it.
The Corner Brook teenager loves to compete for fun, exercise and making new friends on the field of play is a big part of why she commits a lot of her free time to being active in one sport or another.
Basketball, volleyball, hockey, skiing and hockey at various times throughout the year provide her with the avenue to have fun and meet new friends.
But, baseball is at the top of her list of things she loves to do.
Being on the baseball diamond is something that has been a blast since she was four years old when she played with the boys because there was not a dedicated girls team at the time.
She loves to make plays. She likes driving in runs. She’s proven to be a leader as one of the older girls in the group and enjoys being able to help the team put some wins on the board.
“It’s just so much fun when I am playing,” Pike said Tuesday during a team practice at Little Jubilee Field.
Coach Mark Lombard has been impressed with the maturity the team’s first baseman has been displaying on the diamond. He considers Pike one of the team’s leaders who will do great things when she moves up to the next age group next summer.
He has faith in her defensive abilities and believes Pike is one of the team’s top offensive producers with her knack for smacking balls on the nose.
“She’s our big bopper,” coach Lombard said. “She holds a big bat when she’s up to the plate. She drives in a lot of runs for us.”
Decked out in her Barons jersey, playing the game she loves, in front of family and friends in a provincial tournament.
“Tournaments are just the best,” she said with a big smile.
