If you ask St. Paul Catholic coach Gary Hovhanessian when this recent St. Paul Catholic surge up the CIAC Class S standings started, he would point at the arrival of present-day senior Lauren Kozlak. The pitcher/first baseman has been a key cog in the recent resurgence of the Falcons program, who are playing for the State Class S championship on Sunday morning against North Branford. It will be the final softball game of Kozlak’s high school career (she’s attending Marist, but won’t be playing softball for the Red Foxes), but as Kozlak prepared for this week’s run to the final she took time out to go “Extra Innings” with the CT Softball Blog.
FIRST INNING: Tell us journey to the softball field. How did you wind up becoming a softball player?
LAUREN KOZLAK: I started playing softball at around 6 years old and really started to love it once I started playing travel at age 10. I love softball because of how I can make amazing memories with my teammates.
SECOND INNING: What’s the best thing about going to school at St. Paul Catholic?
LK: The support of the staff is amazing. At every game, even away, teachers will come and watch, or they will watch online and talk to us about it the next day. It’s a great feeling to know that they care about our team.
THIRD INNING: If you could change one thing about the school, what would it be?
LK: I would definitely add air conditioning in more classrooms!
FOURTH INNING: What do you like best about playing your position?
LK: I like pitching because I feel like I am in control of the game and can make a difference in every play.
FIFTH INNING: What uniform number do you wear, and how did you end up wearing it?
LK: I wear No. 12. Coming into my freshman year, my original number, 17, was taken by a senior. I debated switching the next year, but I had grown fond of 12.
SIXTH INNING: What individual moment are you most proud of from your softball career?
LK: I would definitely say it was when I helped my team win the NVL semifinals, 6-1, over Seymour this season. They had beat us pretty badly earlier in the season, so it was nice to avenge that loss.
SEVENTH INNING: What is your most embarrassing moment on the field, one you can look back on today and laugh about?
LK: During a game against Watertown this season, I was running to back up third base, and tripped and fell face first in front of their dugout and parents.
EIGHTH INNING: What habits and/or superstitions do you have as a softball player?
LK: I always smooth out the area of the batter’s box that I stand in. I do this in between every pitch.
NINTH INNING: Walk-off home run or a great defensive play to clinch your teams win. What would you choose to do?
LK: I would definitely say a walk off home run.
TENTH INNING: What is your go-to pregame hype song that gets you fired up?
LK: I like listening to old-school hype music, like “Don’t Stop Believin’”,”Eye of the Tiger”, etc.
ELEVENTH INNING: Let’s get away from the softball questions: Which teacher has had the biggest impact on you and why?
LK: Mr. Wallace. He was my math teacher during my freshman and senior years and always goes to every softball game, no matter how far, to support.
TWELFTH INNING: Who is your hero?
LK: My parents. They work really hard and are so supportive of me, and also my sisters.
THIRTEENTH INNING: If you had one do-over in life, what would you choose to do over?
LK: At the end of my junior year, I took a Spanish final that did not go well for me at all. If I had a do-over, I probably would’ve studied more and focused more on the test.
FOURTEENTH INNING: What is something nobody knows about you?
LK: I played the flute in elementary and middle school.
FIFTEENTH INNING: If you could go back in time and witness something from the annals of history, what would it be and why?
LK: I would want to go back and see dinosaurs (from a safe distance) I think it would be interesting to see a world without humans.
SIXTEENTH INNING: What one word best describes Lauren Kozlak?
LK: Determined
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