Lauryn Borzilleri, a 2022 Extra Elite 100 middle infielder for the championship-winning Athletics – Mercado/Smith 18U team, committed to Kentucky when she was in the 8th grade, just shortly before the Early Recruiting Rule change took place in April of 2018.
Coach Rachel Lawson will be getting a talented young player known for her work ethic, great glove work and, as we see in this video, an excellent bat—especially in placing the ball!
In this clip posted on Twitter by her father, Greg Borzilleri, who is also a coach in the A’s – Mercado organization (he coached Lauryn until she joined the 18U team), the junior is impersonating A’s 18U coach Mark Smith, who is famous for his intense fielding drills where he constantly tells infielders “Let’s Go! Get in front of it!”
Lauryn explains: “Our team had to make a video impersonating one of our coaches last year and I chose him because he’s notorious for hitting rockets at us at practice, especially when we’re using our 9-inch gloves!”
As you’ll see in the video below, the first shot found it’s, umm, mark but Lauryn didn’t let up and had a great time in coaching her father on how to block balls. The only saving grace for dad: they weren’t actual softballs but the lighter kind—if she had used real ones, he might still be bent over.
“I played it up a little bit for comedy but I’m just glad I gave her the lite flight balls once I found out what she was doing,” Lauryn’s coach/father recalls. “She had real ones at first and just said, ‘Come here… I need you for a video.’”
“I tried to use real balls, but my dad wouldn’t let me because he was scared!” the athlete laughs. “I definitely tried to hit him! After the first time I hit him, I was laughing so hard that I was just focusing on channeling my inner Mark Smith!”
Originally shot in April, Lauryn’s father reposted the video for her 16th birthday on Friday, Dec. 4, 2020. Apparently there was no ill-will; her parents took her and “three besties” out for dinner that night!
The best part of the video may be the sound from the first hit… listen closely!
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball
Happy Sweet 16 @lo_borzilleri !!! We are very proud of you hope you have a great day as much as you did this one pic.twitter.com/9dpzQKmDlr
— The Gregbambino (@GregBorzilleri1) December 4, 2020
