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Friday, August 1, 2008
Born To Pitch
Eastern Oklahoma, OK
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Broken Arrow Pitcher Chelsea Lyon has a target on her back, but it’s nothing she isn’t use to.
Some players just have it.
Chelsea Lyon is one of those players. The senior pitcher at Broken Arrow is focused upon one thing this season and that’s returning the state championship to Broken Arrow. At a school rich in softball tradition, Broken Arrow is constantly considered the favorite to win state.
Lyon started playing softball at eight years old and was thrown into the pitching circle by her mom Brenda, who was her coach at the time. At the time her duties consisted of just filling the position. But with age came more responsibility, including actually pitching the ball. Now at the high school level, it’s the ability to control the game that Lyon truly loves.
“I like controlling the pitches I throw and how the hitters hit them,” she said. “Whether they’re pop-ups or grounders, I like being able to control the game.”
As a pitcher at Broken Arrow there is a target thrust upon the position. However, Lyon finds that as a motivating factor. Knowing that she will face the best of opponents makes working during the off-season all the more important.
Lyon was able to explain just how that target on her back affects her, “It definitely keeps me going. I work so hard at it and every time I don’t feel like going to practice or going to pitch I bring up last year.
Because last year wasn’t a very good year and I always think ‘I have to be better and I have to work harder.’ The target, it’s sometimes burdensome, but I love it.”
Entering last season, the Tigers were 6A defending state champions and were seen as favorites to repeat. But an early exit in the state tournament was a shock as the top-seeded Tigers were the first No. 1 seed to be knocked out on the first day since 1997. But with the disappointment of last season out of the way, the Tigers and Lyon will look to return to Softball Hall of Fame Stadium and capture the state championship. What would winning the state championship game as a senior mean to Lyon?
“That would be amazing,” she said. “I did it my sophomore year and it would be amazing to do it again. It would be indescribable, just an indescribable feeling. That my senior year we worked so hard and we prepared and did everything we could and then we won it. That would be amazing, but we have to get there first.”
Maybe that’s what it is. The focus and drive that Lyon has is incredible.
“I’m really not an emotional person on the field,” Lyon said. “I really don’t like to show if I’m frustrated because that shows weakness. So I try to be as calm as I can whether it’s working or not. I just try to keep that stoic face.”
She strives to continue the legacy built before her. The legacy is easily seen when you walk into the softball complex on the campus of Broken Arrow High School. Listed are the State Championships (9) and State Runner-Ups, along with the name of every All-State softball player (48) to have donned the black and gold. Chelsea understands the legacy, however. It’s part of growing up in Broken Arrow as a softball player. She would attend games as a little girl thinking it would be cool to play for Broken Arrow one day. As a freshman she was on varsity, sophomore year she won state, last year was a disappointment. Now as a four year varsity player, Chelsea and the other seniors look to pass the legacy on by bringing the title back to Broken Arrow.
“We had great leaders my sophomore year that knew when to push us, they showed leadership on the field, and they said it in the locker room,” she said. “They just prepared us, they really did.”
Part of that legacy is just being Broken Arrow, “We still have the target of being Broken Arrow and having so many state championships. So it will be tough. I know that all the schools we go up against will have their best and will try as hard as they can. Its cool being the target but it just means we have to work twice as hard and be prepared.”
The love of the game might be what makes her special. A love for softball that comes from her parents, Pat and Brenda. Mom played high school softball and tennis, while Dad is a Big XII and SEC umpire.
Being able to play the game that she loves and get college paid for is something that the 4.18 weighted GPA student finds special. She strives for a 30 on her ACT but for right now the 29 will have to do. Even with all the Division I coaches recruiting her focus is still on academics.
“It’s a great feeling that colleges are interested enough in you to give you a free education just for softball,” she said. “I still think that’s amazing. You have a talent and you work really hard at it and you get rewarded for it with an education that will last a lifetime.”
Whatever it is Chelsea Lyon has it. She has the academics, the drive, the love for the game, even the target on her back but for now she wants another state championship. Because it seems like she was born to pitch.
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