Tri-Cities captain: St. Charles North's Taylor Russell
Of all the words to describe St. Charles North junior third baseman Taylor Russell, her teammate Amanda Ciran offered the most unique.
"She's our team mom," Ciran said.
Russell laughed when told, then nodded her head and grudgingly agreed.
The mom who sweats every last detail to make sure her kids are OK, who worries any time something is wrong, who works above and beyond what's expected to get every task done.
That does indeed detail what Russell means to St. Charles North and it's just one reason she's been chosen as the captain of the 2010 Daily Herald All-Area softball team.
Another reason? Try a .519 batting average, an area-best 44 RBI and a clutch glove at third base.
"She's always looking out for everybody," Ciran said. "She is kind of our mom. She's a very good leader."
Ciran isn't alone in that opinion.
"She's a good teammate," first baseman Julia Clare Plezbert said. "She is hardworking, always thinks about the team and an all-around good player."
Or this from right fielder Ashley Seering, who offered some of those "team mom" specifics.
"She's a great leader," Seering said. "She's friendly, she's talkative to everybody. She's very responsible. She makes sure everybody knows that we are wearing for the next game, She knows what time we are going to be on the bus. She's the person you go to if you have a question. She's a good team captain."
That certainly makes life easier for North Stars coach April Stary. If there's ever a problem that every coach deals with - kids upset, lacking confidence, wishing they were playing more, trouble off the field - Stary knows Russell is going to be working to solve it. That's why Stary already has made Russell captain two years, including last season as a sophomore.
"The kids talk to her," Stary said. "She comes and talks to us when there are issues or problems or anything going on with the team. She is very lucid, she is very confident in herself, and she doesn't have a problem saying 'Hey coach, this is what is going on and we need to take care of it.' She does that on and off the field."
For her part, Russell said that role comes naturally. She enjoys making sure everything is done right.
"I try to pick up the team and make sure they are in line kind of," Russell said.
On the field, the North Stars sure didn't have many problems this year. They went 29-4, they won their second straight Upstate Eight Conference title (losing just once) and for most of the season they dominated their opponents playing a schedule filled with the top teams around.
Of course, that kind of year made an 8-7 regional-opening loss to York that much more stunning - and painful.
"That was the complete opposite of how we played all year," Russell said. "It didn't really hit us until we were working sectionals the next week. We didn't get our big goal."
Russell was in the center of all that success in the No. 4 spot in the lineup and at third base. While her hitting got plenty of attention, Russell also was as reliable as they come in the field.
"She's flawless," Stary said. "(Her) errors she has had a line drive hit off her mitt, it's not a ball hit to her and it gets bobbled, and I hit pistols at her all the time on purpose. And she just laughs and eats them up and goes."
Ciran, who went 13-1 in the circle, certainly appreciates having such a sure-handed third baseman who is involved in so many key plays.
"Taylor scoops up everything that comes to her," Ciran said. "She deals with the pressure situations really well, batting and defense. She knows, one out and a runner on she can scoop it up no matter how much pressure is on. At the bat, two outs, she can get on base."
With 56 hits and 6 walks this season, Russell got on base 53 percent of the time. She had 10 doubles, 4 home runs and stole 11 bases.
"She has an awesome bat, an amazing swing," Ciran said.
Stary has seen those skills since before Russell played her first varsity game as a freshman. Russell's older sister Linda was a member of Stary's 2006 North Star team, and Taylor and her twin sister Sydney have been soaking up everything involved with the program ever since.
"The twins have been around the last five, six years," Stary said. "I have known them forever. They have always been here and been a presence here. They have always been watching and learning and absorbing everything.
"She's such a mature kid. They are very self-assured and carry that on the field. They are polite, well-mannered. I have never had a problem with them on or off the field."
Both Taylor and Sydney Russell have been playing softball since they were five. They both also played key roles on St. Charles North's basketball team but there's no doubt their favorite sport.
"I do basketball to get in shape for softball," Taylor Russel said, then adds, "But I do love basketball."
Now there's just one year of both sports left - and you can be sure after how this softball season ended that Russell will do everything in her power to make sure her senior season ends a lot differently.
"It (the York loss) will probably drive everything we do all summer because we can't get it out of our head," Russell said.
The team mom knows best. She's already at work to make 2011 unforgetable.
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<h2>Related documents</h2>
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<li><a href="/pdf/trisoftballfront10.pdf">Tri-Cities all-area team Page 1</a></li>
<li><a href="/pdf/trisoftballteam110.pdf">Tri-Cities all-area team Page 2</a></li>
<li><a href="/pdf/trisoftballteam210.pdf">Tri-Cities all-area team Page 3</a></li>
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