Staying centered

When Lauren Eisenreich was 7, she earned her first nickname.
“We called her Hoover – after the vacuum cleaner – because she caught everything,” said her father, Jim Eisenreich, a former World Series hero for the Philadelphia Phillies, world champion with the Florida Marlins and the Kansas City Royals 1989 Player of the Year.
“She was playing softball, and just getting to the age where it was important to have someone in the outfield who could catch the ball. She was fearless at third base and did a great job catching, but when she was put in center field, it was like she’d found a home.”
She still calls center field home, and her glove and bat could play a key role at 3 p.m. Friday when the 30-0 Wildcats meet the 28-3 Webb City Cardinals in the semifinals of the Class 4 Missouri State High School Softball Championships at Heritage Park in St. Joseph.
The one Wildcat who is getting the most attention is freshman pitcher Kelsey Kessler, who is 29-0 with eight no-hitters and three perfect games.
But she is quick to lavish praise on the girls who play behind her like Eisenreich.
“Kelsey is a different pitcher now than she was in the beginning of the season,” Wildcats coach Roger Lower said, “and that’s because she has learned how good the girls are defensively. The other day, when we played Belton (an 8-0 victory in the sectional playoff), Lauren came out of nowhere to rob a girl of a hit early in that game. If she doesn’t make that catch, who knows how that inning turns out.”
Said senior catcher and team leader Amanda Self of Eisenreich: “It was like she teleported. She came out of nowhere.”
Added an appreciative Kessler: “Amanda said it best, when she said she teleported. I know that when a ball is hit to center field, Lauren is going to catch it. I do pitch differently now because I have so many great fielders out there with me. I have faith and confidence in every girl on the team.”
The Eisenreich family – which also includes little brothers Tyler (a freshman), Zachary (fifth grade) and Matthew (first grade) – gives Lauren her own personal cheering section at all home games and most away contests.
At home, Jim is the most famous public address announcer in Eastern Jackson County.
“Dad loves to announce the games, and I love to have him and my brothers at the games,” Lauren said. “We’re a baseball family and a softball family. I’ve played softball about as long as I can remember, and everyone remembers my dad from his playing days with the Royals.”
The real die-hard fans remember his three-run homer for the Phillies off Toronto’s Dave Stewart in the second game of the 1993 World Series or his solid .280 season that helped the Marlins claim their first world championship in 1997.
“I was 6 or 7 when Dad played for the Marlins,” Lauren said. “I remember being in the kids locker room when they won the World Series. It was pretty cool.”
When asked if she and her dad might one day have matching championship rings, she just grinned.
“His Marlins ring is tucked away somewhere,” Lauren said. “It’s so big he never wears it – and we don’t talk about (Blue Springs) winning the state championship, because you just don’t talk about those things until they happen. But it’s one of the unspoken things in our household. I think he wants us to win it more than I do.”
Eisenreich was one of the most popular and consistent players in Royals history, and his love of sports is still evident today.
“My gosh, I can’t even tell you how much fun I’ve had this season, watching Lauren and the rest of the girls,” Eisenreich said. “It’s unbelievable. If they get a ring, it will mean more to me than when we won the National League championship with the Phillies or the World Series with the Marlins.
“When you watch your child and her team succeed, as a father, there is nothing like it – nothing like it in the world.”
He also takes great pride in the fact that Lauren plays his old position.
“I guess center fielders just run in the family,” he said. “It wouldn’t matter where she played – we’re all just so proud.”
While Jim is relishing every moment of this undefeated season, Lauren doesn’t remember much about her dad’s playing days.
“I know when I was little, he would take me on the field,” she said. “And when he was with the Phillies, Curt Schilling would always be the first one out of the locker room and he would come over and pick me up.
“Even though I don’t remember much, I still love to talk baseball. My middle brother, Zachary, Dad and I have had some great baseball conversations. Even though this season is just about over, we can talk baseball forever.”
And if Lauren and the Wildcats win two more games, maybe that conversation will switch to softball too.