PREP SOFTBALL: Inning Eater -- Pride pitcher leaves MP as school's most decorated

There could be a pitcher in the state of Arizona that has logged more innings the last three seasons than Lauren Stephan.

But it’s doubtful.

Throughout her career for the Mountain Pointe High School softball team, Stephan has been a model of consistency.

She’s a four-year everyday varsity player. She’s been the starting pitcher the last three seasons. And perhaps most important of all — particularly in an injury-riddled 2007 season for the Pride — Stephan has been dependable.

In a year where Mountain Pointe’s offense has struggled to the point of being shut out in four of its last eight games, Stephan has kept the team afloat as its chances of reaching the playoffs grew dangerously slim toward the end of the season.

Throughout it all, the team never truly established a No. 2 pitcher. On the mound, it’s been Stephan’s show.

“She’s definitely kept us in a lot of games and give us an opportunity to win those games,” Mountain Pointe coach Mel Wendell said. “She’s thrown very well for us.

“To get an ace in high school like that, they’re few and far between.”

Though she’s not the most powerful pitcher around, Stephan knows she is seasoned enough to get opposing players out by a variety of means, not just by striking them out like many aces in the sport are accustomed to doing.

“I throw mostly drop balls, and lately I’ve been throwing a lot of change-ups to throw batters off,” she said. “Most of the time, I just try to get ground balls and pop flies. I just do what I can to get outs.”

Stephan’s deceptive style on the mound was enough to earn her a full-ride, Division I scholarship for softball. This fall, she will be attending Campbell University in North Carolina and is expected to contribute immediately.

Campbell coach Drew Peterson initially spotted Stephan when she was pitching at a tournament in Irvine, Calif., with her club team, the Hot Shots, shortly before Thanksgiving.

“He just came up to my dad and I and he said, 'We want to offer you a full ride,’” Stephan said. “I didn’t even know what Campbell was at the time. But we went on a visit there, and I really liked it. It’s a really small school.

“I think I’ll start quite a bit for a freshman because I’m not sure how many pitchers they have. Their starting pitcher from last year got into their pharmacy school, so she’s not going to be playing next year. So I’m just hoping to go in and make some sort of impact.”

Though her surroundings on the diamond aren’t likely to change much, Stephan’s environment outside of softball will change dramatically.

Instead of the desert landscape and bustling traffic of the nation’s fifth-biggest city, it will now be green trees and open spaces for Stephan.

“It’s definitely going to be an adjustment,” she said. “I know when I come back, I’m not going to be able to drive down Ray Road anymore because it will be too frustrating with so many people. But I’ve lived here all my life, in Ahwatukee, so it’ll be a good change for me. I’m nervous, but the small-school, little town atmosphere should be good.”

But that doesn’t mean she’s not sad to leave Mountain Pointe, and naturally so. There hasn’t been a player that has competed in more games wearing the maroon and gold.

“The last four years have gone by really fast, but at the same time, it goes really slow,” she said. “It will be bittersweet — I’ll probably cry. High school has been fun, but I’m excited to move on.”

--Christopher Drexel can be reached at (480) 898-4906 or cdrexel@aztrib.com.