She’s a real take-charge player in right field. On offense, she’s one of the leading hitters.
But Lockport junior Taylor Lane also is particularly adept with her wit when she creates a cheer for the team to chant from the dugout. One of her favorites is only used on certain occasions.
It came in handy Monday against Sandburg.
“Well, it’s for teams we’re tight with,” Lane siad. “Like, I’m friends with their shortstop. If they made an error, we’d go, ‘Errors, errors, eat ’em up, eat ’em up.’ We get into it.”
The reaction on the other side? No worries. Still friends.
“She was chirping back,” Lane said, laughing. “It’s all fun.”
Lane and the host Porters had all the fun during an 11-0 SouthWest Suburban Conference victory over the Eagles in five innings.
Addison Way went 3-for-3 with two RBIs for Lockport (20-9, 9-4). Lane reached base all three times, including an RBI double, while Rheanna Slavicek and Kelcie McGraw each added two hits. McGraw also struck out five for the pitching win.
Zoe Trunk came up with a leadoff bunt single for Sandburg (9-16, 2-11).
Lane has fit in like a glove with the other new varsity players — and also the older ones.
“Taylor is always there lifting up our team,” McGraw said. “She actually created a lot of our crazy cheers and gets our team going. She brings a lot of energy to every game and has helped us turn our season around.”
After an 8-8 start, Lockport has won 12 of its last 13 games. Lane, meanwhile, is batting .418 with 11 doubles and 20 RBIs. Lockport coach Marissa Chovanec bats her in the cleanup spot.
“She’s a special kid,” Chovanec said. “She has a lot of energy she brings to the team. She’s always chatting, and the team in general, they follow that energy.
“We knew that she was going to be a key player for us with a really good bat and as a good outfielder.”
Lane flashed some defensive brilliance against Lincoln-Way East during a recent game when she made an over-the-shoulder running catch. In another game, she reached over the fence to take away a home run.
“Taylor is just an all-around good player,” McGraw said. “She always goes to the plate knowing she’s going to get a hit. And you can really trust her in the outfield.
“Anything hit out there, I pretty much know she’s got it.”
On Monday, Lane celebrated her birthday with an RBI double in the first inning and a single in the second. She also reached on an error in the third.
She seemed to be seeing the ball extremely well. It wasn’t an illusion.
“I think I have really good discipline when I’m up at the plate,” Lane said. “I know which pitches I need to drive. I just go up there looking for my pitch, loose and ready, so that when it comes I can drive it.”
She can also be called a natural. When Lane came to Lockport, it was with the intention of being a one-sport athlete in softball. But her father changed that.
“My dad was like, ‘Taylor, you’re doing bowling,’” Lane said. “So then I just had to.”
Lane became the third girl in her family to bowl for Lockport. As a sophomore, she was a member of the varsity team that finished third at state. This season, she averaged 205 and helped lead the Porters to a seventh-place finish.
Dad was right.
“Stuff usually comes naturally for me,” Lane said. “When he told me I was going to bowl, he said, ‘Oh, your sisters aren’t as athletic as you. You need to take advantage of your athleticness.”
Her sisters?
“They just know,” Lane said, smiling. “They just accept it.”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
