Photo: Etowah High School senior Lauren Farmer signed a softball scholarship with Gadsden State on Dec. 1. Pictured, sitting, from right: dad Michael, Lauren, mom Mary. Standing, from left: brother Austin, EHS softball coach Ryan Carter. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger)
By Chris McCarthyPublisher/Editor
Lauren Farmer’s family and friends won’t have travel very far to watch her compete in college softball.
The Etowah High School senior signed an athletic scho-larship with Gadsden State on Dec. 1.
“I’m really excited about it,” said Farmer, who plans on studying nursing. “It feels like all of the hard work I’ve put in has paid off, and I get to be part of the few [people] that get to play college ball. I’ve always wanted to go to Gadsden State, and I really like [head softball] coach [Ryan] Clark.”
This past season, Farmer batted .313 along with 40 hits, 11 doubles, 24 runs scored, 22 RBI and 14 steals as the Lady Blue Devils finished with a 25-25 record and qualified for the Class 4A East Regional softball tournament.
EHS softball coach Ryan Carter appreciates what Farmer brings to the table as both a player and a person.
“Lauren is 100 percent a leader who gets after it every day. She is just a great Christian young lady, not only on the field and in the weight room but in our school and our community. When I came on board last year, Lauren really bought into what we were doing. She’s not only helped me build a team; she helped to build me as a softball coach. Gadsden State is not only getting not only a great athlete and student but a great person.”
Farmer shared a few of the goals she and her softball teammates set for the upcoming season.
“We just want to play to the best of our ability and win as much as we can and make it farther than we did last year. We’ve just got to put in the extra work that we need to do that.”