Her head is in the clouds, but don’t be fooled. Senior outfielder Amelia Lohrey has her feet firmly on the ground when she plays softball for Aurora Central Catholic.
The hard-hitting Lohrey is an A-student who has dreams of being a commercial pilot. Those dreams are beginning to take flight much like her team’s performance this season.
“I have a student (pilot certificate) and I’m working on the private pilot’s license,” said Lohrey, who began taking lessons at Aurora Airport in Sugar Grove the summer before her junior year.
“I’m really close. I have a few things to finish up and should have it by the end of summer.”
In the fall, the 18-year-old Lohrey will head to Prescott, Arizona to attend Embry-Riddle in pursuit of a degree in aeronautical science. She also will play softball for the NAIA program.
First things first, however.
Lohrey and the Chargers dealt with some turbulence Tuesday afternoon during an 8-1 nonconference loss at Oswego East.
Senior pitcher Tristin Hyland threw an eight-hitter and drove in two runs for the Wolves (10-11).
Lohrey, who led ACC (16-3) with a single and a walk, rested some arm soreness Tuesday as the designated player for the second game in a row.
“We needed to see a team that can hit up and down the lineup,” ACC coach Mark Pasqualini said of the Class 4A opponent. “They’ve got a lot of kids who are committed, and we haven’t seen a lot of that this year.
“We let it get away a little too early.”
Lohrey doesn’t remember her first time flying but does recall going to Texas with her dad, Jason, to see her grandparents and getting to fly first class.
“I might have been 4,” she said. “I remember sitting there and people looking at me like they were wondering what someone that young was doing in first class.”
By the time she reached eighth grade, Lohrey was researching flight schools and contacting college softball coaches who might have recruiting interest.
She let mom Cassie and her dad know of her growing interest in flying. A friend of the family who is a pilot suggested the local lessons, a path his son was utilizing.
She has come a long way, even flying solo now at times. It included a required trip of 150-plus miles that featured stops in Janesville and Waukesha, Wisconsin, before coming home.
“It’s a little unsettling the first time you see the plane go over and you know it’s your 18-year-old daughter flying solo,” Jason Lohrey said.
Amelia can’t stress enough how much she appreciates her parents’ support.
“I think they’re always nervous when I fly, but they’re also always nervous when I drive because they’re parents and that’s their job,” she said. “But they trust me and my training and know I wouldn’t go up in unsafe conditions.”
On the field, as one of just two seniors on the team along with second baseman Natalie Sanchez, Lohrey takes her leadership role seriously.
“In open gyms and practices, I hope to have the younger girls follow me,” she said. “I expect to be a leader and have tried to lead by example.”
She has done well, according to Pasqualini.
“We’re giving her a little break in the outfield, hopefully get her back and ready for the playoffs,” he said. “But she’s our leader in the outfield, makes calls and moves people around, which is what I want her to do.”
Lohrey is hitting .390 with eight doubles, two triples, three home runs and 22 RBIs for the Chargers, who control their destiny with a two-game lead in their first season in the GCAC White.
“Amelia has led us on the offensive side,” Pasqualini said. “She bats fourth and, lately, she has started to come on strong. She’s hitting the ball hard — that’s all I could ask for.”
That, and continued smooth landings.
