Fox Valley co-captain: Cary-Grove's Lindsay Efflandt
When Lindsay Efflandt entered Cary-Grove High School as a freshman last fall, she only wanted one thing when it came to softball.
"I just wanted to make the team," she said. "That's all I was really hoping for."
Efflandt certainly did make the team - in more ways than one.
Not since Erica Maisto was a freshman at Burlington Central has a rookie come onto the high school scene with such a blast as has Lindsay Efflandt.
Try these numbers out for a freshman pitcher: 28-3 record, 1.01 ERA, 207 strikeouts, over 200 innings pitched, 11 shutouts, 29 walks, a .195 batting average against.
It's no wonder Cary-Grove stood at 32-6 for the season entering Wednesday night's Class 4A Judson supersectional game against Elk Grove.
Oh, and she can hit too. A .379 average with 3 home runs, 27 RBI, 6 doubles, 3 triples and only 14 strikeouts in 108 at-bats is quite impressive for any freshman.
And for her efforts, Efflandt has been selected as the Honorary Co-Captain of the Daily Herald's Fox Valley All-Area Team. she shares the honor with Bartlett senior Callie Dennison and becomes the fourth captain from Cary-Grove, following Kelli Gallas, Caitlin Herina and Sarah Waylock.
Cary-Grove coach Tammy Olson knew all about Efflandt and her talent before Lindsay, who just recently turned 15, ever enrolled at the high school. But what Olson didn't know was how Efflandt would handle the high school softball scene.
What resulted was a pleasant surprise for Olson and the Trojans.
"The kid surprises me all the time," said Olson, who acknowledged Efflandt as the best all-around freshman player she's ever coached. "I'd say she never had any problems with maturity. She acted like a senior all the way. She's extremely driven and very levelheaded.
"Usually you get the skill level, and we knew her skill, but inside we didn't know what she was. She's turned out to be so solid."
Efflandt became a silent leader for the Trojans, one who just took the ball every day and did her work.
"I never tried to say anything," said Efflandt, a lifelong Cary resident and the daughter of Bill and Jeanine Efflandt whose brother Matt, a former Cary-Grove muilt-sport star now attends Wisconsin-Stout.
"I just did what I could do and did my best. I was a little worried about coming in as a freshman but I just kept my mouth shut and played."
Efflandt, who has been pitching since fourth grade under the tutelage of Ken Stilley, thrives on pressure and never showed her moxie more than last Saturday when she and Abbe Wienckowski collided going for a dribbler in the seventh inning, a play that allowed Jacobs to tie the sectional championship game and get the potential go-ahead run to third base. Instead of crumbling, like many freshmen would, Efflandt snuffed out the Golden Eagles' rally, paving the way for Taylor Dunne's 3-run walk off home run in the bottom of the eighth that put the Trojans in the Elite Eight.
"Lindsay is a little naive at some things still and she's just so humble," Olson said. "She doesn't falter when mistakes are made, she just gets stronger. She's hardest on herself. If she thinks she did something wrong she reprimands herself before I even have to. Her expectations are stellar. She has to be the best."
To Efflandt, it's just about doing the job.
"My mindset is that I just want to get the job done," said Efflandt, who would like to study English and journalism and someday write books. "I like being in pressure situations and I like being a silent leader. That's my favorite part."
Efflandt says much of her savvy comes from her parents, and from years of travel ball.
"I've been playing in tournaments for a long time," she said. "My parents always kept me really in line. They taught me to be respectful to everyone and that's where a lot of the maturity comes from, it comes from them."
What Olson is looking for now is maintaining the high level Efflandt has set for herself.
"Anytime a kid has a great year the hardest part is to repeat it," Olson said. "Now she has to maintain it and bring it up a notch. Consistency is what we're looking for next year and that's sometimes hard to live up to."
But in Efflandt's case, she's off to one heck of a start.
<div class="infoBox">
<h1>More Coverage</h1>
<div class="infoBoxContent">
<div class="infoArea">
<h2>Related documents</h2>
<ul class="morePdf">
<li><a href="/pdf/foxsoftballfront10.pdf">Fox Valley all-area team Page 1</a></li>
<li><a href="/pdf/foxsoftballteam110.pdf">Fox Valley all-area team Page 2</a></li>
<li><a href="/pdf/foxsoftballteam210.pdf">Fox Valley all-area team Page 3</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>