Canyon's Young gets offensive at right time

ANAHEIM – Canyon shortstop Lauren Young had always been known for amazing defense, but this season she developed into one of the most explosive hitters in the county.

"I just wanted to hit," Young said. "I got my courage and confidence up and started to hit."

Young is coming off a huge offensive performance to help the Comanches beat fourth-seeded Los Alamitos, 13-5, in the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinals on Tuesday. She went 4 for 4 with two homers and three RBIs. Multiple witnesses said one of her homers traveled at least 240 feet. The other one just missed the scoreboard at canyon High.

She is batting .451 with six homers, nine doubles, two triples and 36 RBIs. Oh yeah, she also has a .963 fielding percentage. She is a major reason why the Comanches will be making their first appearance in the finals when they face third-seeded Santiago of Corona for the Division 1 championship Saturday at 6 p.m. at Bill Barber Park in Irvine.

Click here for a capsule preview of the Canyon-Santiago of Corona championship game.

"I guess we matured and it feels so good that we finally reached it (the finals)," Young said. "We reached our level and I want to continue it for next year, too. But I really want to win on Saturday."

Her flawless fielding skills and cannon-like arm caught the attention of many college recruiters. She committed to Arizona, which has won eight national championships, at the beginning of her junior year.

Some players might lose some motivation after locking up a scholarship to one of the top programs in the nation, but the commitment to Arizona only intensified Young's efforts.

"I felt really honored," Young said of committing to Arizona. "It was between there and Stanford. Arizona is where softball is."

In the offseason, she did intensive strength and agility training.

"I started getting bigger and stronger," Young said. "I just continued to work and work and practice more. It showed when we started playing at Canyon."

Athletics is in Young's blood. Her father, Terry, was a football and baseball player and her mom, Cecile, played tennis. Young wanted to play against the boys in Little League baseball, but she found her calling in softball when she started playing rec ball as an 8-year-old. Young has been tearing up softball diamonds ever since.

"I'd always get mad at my brother (Brandon) because my dad would always spend more of his time with him instead of me," Young said. "When my brother was little, his team would practice and my dad would always tell me to show him up and I'd always show him up."

The Comanches got eliminated from the playoffs by Orange Lutheran last season. The Lancers beat Canyon, 3-2, in the first round. Young missed that game because of a broken pinky on her throwing hand. Canyon avenged that loss with a 6-5 victory in the second round this season.

"Sweet revenge," Young said. "We got ourselves rallied up. It felt good to win and get a little bit of revenge."

Between high school and travel ball, Young plays softball year round. So what does she do when she is not on the field?

"Just hang out and probably go hit," Young said. "Every Thursday night I hit with my hitting coach. Other than that I just hang with friends and chill."

That's why she is so good. Young is always trying to make herself a better player.