Four-year varsity starter Gwen Shouse has been rock-like steady at shortstop for Batavia coach Torry Pryor, but his leadoff senior speedster is no one-trick pony.
In fact, it’s very likely Shouse’s flexibility and willingness to adapt will carry her far at the next level next season when she takes her game to North Central College in Naperville.
“I’m not quite sure where I’ll end up, probably as a utility player,” Shouse said what position she will play. “It could be middle infield because that’s where I’ve played for high school and a lot of travel ball, but then I do play the outfield and other spots for travel as well.
“I guess I can play anywhere, outfield or infield, and compete at most positions.”
It helps make Batavia’s quiet leader special, according to Pryor.
“Like I tell the girls all the time, it’s hard to be Batman,” he said. “It’s easy to be Robin.”
Shouse answered the call Wednesday in a 13-4 nonconference loss to Plainfield East after Pryor asked her to move to Batavia’s expansive center field and cover for a player nursing a minor injury.
Short fences of 189 and 183 feet down the lines due to a line of trees in left field and a property line in right are extended to a prairie-like 230 feet in straightaway center.
“You do have to cover a lot of ground, but I just try to adjust to the hitters too,” said Shouse, who handled four chances while flashing excellent range. “I enjoy center field. It’s like relaxing out there, maybe not as stressful as shortstop, where you have no time to think.
“Sometimes, it can be boring if nothing is hit to you. I had a fun time.”
At the plate, the left-handed Shouse makes her mark hitting as a slapper. She singled in the first inning and scored her team’s first run on a sacrifice fly by junior right fielder Amira Mendoza.
Sophomore catcher Teagan Sullivan then hit a two-run homer for a short-lived 3-2 lead for the Bulldogs (0-3). Junior pitcher Mackenzie Krauch was solid, hurt by shaky defense in a seven-run second by Plainfield East (3-2).
It was Pryor, who has known Shouse since she was 7 years old, who moved her to shortstop when she reached high school. He also coached her sister Liv, a 2020 Batavia grad.
Gwen came up through rec leagues and travel ball playing mostly second base.
“I needed a shortstop and made the decision to bring her up to varsity and play shortstop,” said Pryor, who limited her at-bats if she struggled at the plate that first season. “I let her concentrate on her defense, which got better.
“Then, she came back sophomore year and she’s been hitting the ball ever since.”
In the seventh inning Wednesday, she slapped a line drive that carried to the fence in left-center.
“She has some power,” Pryor said.
How good did that double feel?
“That felt really good,” said Shouse, who didn’t start slapping until she reached high school. “I started watching YouTube videos because I wanted to see the basics on how to do the footwork and where your hands should be when hitting the ball.
“Sophomore year, I wanted to slap 30% of the time. Last year, I did it more than half the time.”
It was only possible because she made the change to batting lefty earlier in her career.
“I hit righty for one year when I was 8 and then my rec league coach, Mark Rokos, suggested I switch to lefty because he said I was way too fast to be a righty,” Shouse said.
Taking advantage of being closer to first base coming out of the batter’s box made sense to her.
But it wasn’t easy.
“It was so awkward that first time and felt so unnatural,” Shouse said. “In time, it worked out. I also write lefty.”
Change and adapt. It can take you far.
