It’s still relatively uncommon for freshmen to play varsity softball and when they do, they’re usually seen and not heard.
It’s downright rare that a freshman provides leadership at the varsity level, but Guerin’s Melissa Gonzalez is not a typical freshman.
“She is mature beyond her years,” Guerin assistant coach Ken Jurasz said. “Nobody treats her like a true freshman. She knows the game very well. She comes ready to play and ready to practice every day. Girls just gravitate to her.”
The Gators lost 10-0 at Elmwood Park on April 18, but a peek at Guerin’s bench during the game provided a glimpse of Gonzalez’s precociousness.
Gonzalez, a catcher by trade, started at third base against the Tigers, while catching duties fell on senior teammate Maggie Gillette, who is not an experienced catcher.
During the early innings against Elmwood Park, Gonzalez was in the dugout offering catching advice to Gillette. The two also played varsity volleyball together, and Gonzalez was simply returning past favors.
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“Maggie helped me so much during volleyball,” Gonzalez said. “I knew I had experience in the sport, and coach (Jurasz) told me it’s OK to say something, that I could go up to other players and make suggestions.
“I try to be a welcoming person. My parents (Esteban and Jodi Gonzalez) sit me down and they literally teach me how to be a good person. My dad is a strong believer that if you do something kind for another person, they’ll do you the favor whenever you’re in trouble. You have to be kind to other people.”
On the field, Gonzalez had a .357 batting average through Guerin’s 4-5 start and was tied for the team lead in home runs with three, with junior shortstop Hailey Jurasz.
Jurasz batted .613 through nine games and as a team leader, she’s happy to have Gonzalez in the fold.
“She takes a lot of pressure off of me,” Hailey Jurasz said. “Last year when we didn’t have her I was doing a lot of the catching, and now I can play at shortstop and some of the other positions I wanted to play but couldn’t.
“She helps me lead and helps people understand the game. We’re a young team, so that’s really important right now.”
Pressure can mount on a freshman being asked to bat third or fourth and fill a leadership role at catcher. That pressure can be amplified by the high expectations Gonzalez carries for herself.
“There are times when I want to try to carry the team on my back, and the pressure can get to me,” Gonzalez said. “But thankfully my coaches are always there to calm me down. They’re always telling me, ‘You’re a freshman, just have fun.’ So I know I have to stay calm.”
Ken Jurasz agreed that Gonzalez tends to be her own worst critic, “and sometimes she’ll go up to the plate thinking she needs to hit a 9-run home run,” he said.
“She’s hard on herself. But she brings excitement, enthusiasm and a love of the game every time out. She has a lot of leadership skills that you just can’t coach and you don’t expect from a freshman.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press