Being a leader, especially in sports, is often thought of as getting loud, rallying the troops, being outspoken, or being a “get in your face” type of player, à la Ray Lewis.
Softball player Brooke Short has proven that leadership doesn’t have to be about being loud, or even getting in players’ faces, but about what you do in front of teammates on the field.
“She’s not the first person to speak up in the huddle, but she gets it done at the plate and [in the circle]. Her teammates see her being successful, and that motivates them,” said assistant coach Jennifer Steele.
“She doesn’t talk a lot, but when she does, it is pretty profound,” Steele added.
One would be hard pressed to find an athlete who wouldn’t want to be led by Short, Longwood’s all- time leader in home runs, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, and second all-time in batting average. “I’ve always tried to just lead physically, rather than being super outspoken,” said Short. “I try to just get on base, whether it’s [through] a walk or an error, I just try to get something started.”
This season, Short has even more of a leadership role than before. She is the Lancers’ ace, leading in innings pitched, earned run average and wins.
“She commands respect and is never afraid to take the ball on any given day,” said Steele.
Short is someone who seems to always rise to the occasion, and is looked up to by her teammates for her ability to always come through for them. “Brooke started as a great hitter from freshman year on and has been able to step up when we needed her in clutch situations,” said Head Coach Kathy Riley. “I think she has consistently been the best hitter ever at Longwood.”
Short, who has been playing softball since she was five, was a three-sport athlete at Altavista High School, playing varsity level all four years in basketball, volleyball and softball. At Altavista, her jersey was retired and she was a all-district selection three out of four years and an all-state selection her senior year.
Despite the accolades, Short remains humble and allows her play on the field to do the talking for her. “I just think about the team more than myself,” said Short, “I’d rather the team win, than for me to have four home runs and lose.”
That being said, most of the time Short has her cake and eats it too. Over her first three years at Longwood, the Lancers were an astounding 102- 55, and Short broke the Longwood softball career home run record in only two seasons before suffering from an injury last season and having to sit out.
“There have been few times that we have done well where Brooke hasn’t had a good game. When she plays well, the team steps up behind her because they don’t want to let her down,” said Steele.
Indeed, Short seems to have that effect on people. She continuously makes people around her better, and she doesn’t have to say words of encouragement or get mad, she just plays the way she knows how.
“We have always been able to count on her, she hasn’t folded under pressure and her teammates have a tremendous amount of respect for the fact that when we need her to perform well, she is willing to do that,” said Riley.
“She bought in to the fact that we wanted to work hard early on, and what our team was all about in terms of overall development of a person,” Riley later added.
This year, the team is 25-10 and 9-4 in the Big South Conference. Short has led the way so far, batting .420 with 10 home runs and 43 RBI.
With 18 games left, the Lancers’ goal is very clear: to win the Big South title, make the NCAA tournament and send Short and the team’s two other seniors off the right way. “We definitely have our eye on trying to win the Big South,” Short said, “Getting the one or two seed by the end of the season and just working hard is our main goal.”
Pitcher Brooke Short
