Softball player finds time to shine in boxing ring
MANSFIELD, Pa.
- Jaclyn Laskowski usually packs a wallop on the softball
diamond. Last year, the Mid Valley High School graduate established a
single-season home run record at Mansfield University with nine. That total
also led the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, as did her .696
slugging percentage and her 1.06 RBIs per game. Lately, Laskowski has been displaying a different type of punch. For the
moment, she has traded in her bat for boxing gloves. As a member of the university's boxing club, the first baseman has been
pounding foes as adeptly as opposing pitchers. The junior has had three
fights and easily won them all. "She's been a joy to work with," said Dennis Garner, who has coached the
Mansfield Boxing Club for 10 of its 11 years of existence. "Some kids, you
have a difficult time getting them out to practice. Not Jackie. She's
consistently there." Originally, Laskowski joined the club to stay conditioned for softball. "I'd heard about it from a couple of people on campus," Laskowski said.
"Then a friend of mine joined and said it was a good workout. I'm always
looking for different ways to stay in shape, so I went and tried it. It was
great." That's when Laskowski's competitive juices took over. She simply was not
satisfied with doing the workouts. She wanted to get in the ring, too. Over the years, Garner said he's had a number of women join the club for
the aerobic benefits. However, Laskowski and another girl this year are the
first to want to compete. "My only reservation is, 'Will there be any complications later on when
they want to have children?'" Garner said. "The experts say no, but only
time will tell. In the meantime, we do all we can to protect them. That's my
number-one priority." Safety is also Mansfield softball coach Edith Gallagher's concern. While
she supports Laskowski's boxing exploits, she admits she's a little nervous
having her star player duke it out. "Watching her box here at Mansfield two weeks ago was both thrilling and
stomach-churning at the same time," Gallagher said. "One minute, I was
smiling and cheering, and the next minute I was covering my eyes." Not only has boxing helped Laskowski stay in shape for softball season,
she believes it will benefit her hand-eye coordination on the diamond as
well. "I think I'll be able to pick up the ball quicker and cut down on my
strikeouts," she said. Despite her prowess in the ring, softball could put Laskowski's boxing
season down for the count. On Friday, March 5, the Lady Mountaineers opened their season at the
Snowbird Tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The team then has games scheduled
for March 26-27, when the National Collegiate Boxing Association regionals
will be held at Lock Haven University, as well as April 1-3, when the NCBA
National Championships take place in Reno, Nev. Given how well she has done to this point, Garner believes Laskowski has
a good shot at qualifying for nationals. If she's not manning first base. "I'd love to go, but it conflicts with softball," Laskowski said. "That's
my first priority, my job." Still, Laskowski might try to persuade Gallagher to let her miss those
games. Pitchers around the state athletic conference certainly hope she does.
Associated Press
