S.J. female athlete of year: Lauren Gaskill

Rancocas Valley senior Lauren Gaskill was distraught when she had to give up baseball around age 9 after finding out that softball was the high school sport for girls.

"It was disappointing when I found out I couldn't play baseball my entire life," Gaskill said. "So I went over to softball and it worked out OK."

That might be the understatement of the year.

Gaskill was an all-star in baseball, but she took it to another level in a sport she would grow to love - and dominate.

This season, Gaskill batted .581 with 43 runs, three home runs, five triples, 16 RBIs, and a .652 on-base percentage for a Red Devils team that went 18-5 and finished No. 5 in The Inquirer's South Jersey rankings. The Red Devils advanced to the Central Jersey Group 4 final before their season ended with a 12-10 loss to Howell.

The 5-foot-4 Gaskill, who finished with 191 career hits, will convert from shortstop to center field at Virginia Tech, where she has earned a softball scholarship.

Her softball season came on the heels of her earning first-team all-conference and Inquirer third-team all-South Jersey honors in basketball. As a point guard, she helped lead Rancocas Valley to its first state Group 4 title in girls' basketball.

Gaskill has been named The Inquirer's South Jersey senior female athlete of the year.

"I wish I had 100 of her," Rancocas Valley basketball coach Anthony Corrado said.

That might be a little greedy, because there is only one Gaskill, a person whose will and competitive drive matched her athletic ability.

"Lauren was not only an incredibly dynamic player but also a great teammate and leader," Rancocas Valley softball coach Erin Mattio said. "It has been so fun watching her grow these past four years, and she will be greatly missed."

Gaskill led more by example. She treated her second-best sport as if it were No. 1.

"She wasn't always the best basketball player on the court, per se, but her work ethic and passion inspired others to work hard," Corrado said. "It was the leadership she possessed that you can't teach."

And it's why Virginia Tech coach Scot Thomas is so excited to have Gaskill join the program.

"Lauren is a truly special athlete and player," Thomas said by e-mail. "The sky is truly the limit for her abilities. The combination of speed and power at this high of a level is rare, but her greatest attribute is this kid loves to compete."

Even Gaskill, who typically low-keys her accomplishments, can appreciate all that she and her teams have accomplished.

"It was a pretty amazing year in both sports," she said. "We went far in both sports, and overall I had fun competing and playing."