Mia Meno is Warren’s leadoff hitter in her senior season, a first for her.
But Meno has become accustomed to change in her three varsity seasons. She recalls moving to third base, an entirely new position for her, two years ago.
“It was a bit scary at first,” she said. “Hannah Conger played shortstop, and she helped me a lot. It was tough. But I put in a lot of extra work in practice to get used to third base.
“I think they were trying to find a spot on the field for me. It was quite an adjustment at first, but I got the hang of it toward the end of the season.”
The 5-foot-5 Meno, a Carthage College commit who had two hits during the Blue Devils’ North Suburban Conference win against Lake Forest on Monday, is already getting the hang of the leadoff spot.
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“She goes deep in counts and has long at-bats, which is what we want from our leadoff hitter,” Warren coach Jenna Charbonneau said. “She’s also a great bunter. We can always count on her getting the ball down.
“She’s willing to do whatever it takes for the team. She’s done a really good job.”
Meno, who batted eighth and fifth in the previous two seasons and batted .330 last year, puts the Blue Devils (3-3, 1-0) first.
“I just think it shows how competitive I am as a person and how much I want to win and help the team,” she said.
Meno, who had been an outfielder and pitcher, has played several positions in the infield, but third base has become her primary spot.
“Mia is really consistent and makes all the routine plays and makes some unbelievable plays,” Charbonneau said.
Meno put in the work during the offseason.
“I played a tougher summer schedule for my travel team,” she said. “I played a lot of different positions, but I tried to play more third base, and that helped a lot.
“I did a lot of weightlifting, and that helped me incredibly. I’m much stronger and a lot faster and have gotten a lot more power into my swing.”
Charbonneau said Meno has taken other steps too.
“She really leads by example and has really come into her own in her senior year,” Charbonneau said. “She’s come out of her shell and grown a lot as a person and a leader and become a good role model.”
Warren junior second baseman Lauren Jaronik agrees that Meno’s influence extends beyond her hitting and fielding.
“She wants to win and shares that want and competitiveness with her teammates,” Jaronik said.
Warren senior first baseman/pitcher Camryn Guldberg, a Wisconsin-Eau Claire commit, has seen that too.
“She’s a quiet teammate, but she keeps the energy positive on and off the field,” Guldberg said. “Having played with her for so long, I’ve noticed how much of an impact she makes on everyone on and off the field.”
Meno also plays the guitar. She picked up the hobby on a whim.
“I can play guitar quite well,” she said. “I just wanted to learn one day and started teaching myself about a year ago. It calms me down. It helps me manage my anxiety before games. I’ve had teammates come over to listen to me.
“It helped me to learn to be patient, which I’ve brought into softball. I’ve learned to trust the process.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.