Two years ago Lynn Classical High School softball coach Joe Morin foresaw that his team would need a catcher in the 2024 season.
“So, I started joking with [then-sophomore] Lauren Wilson that we would be needing a starting catcher,” recalled Morin. “Lauren said to me, ‘okay.’ She went in the equipment closet at Classical and found old catcher’s gear and started catching. She then went out and got her own gear and worked at it. She’s an athlete. She can play every position.”
This spring Wilson took over the starting catching position and had an outstanding season working in tandem with Classical pitcher Rachel Dana. Wilson batted close to .400 and completed her GBL All-Star campaign as Dana’s batterymate in the Agganis All-Star Game Sunday.
Morin never doubted that Wilson would put in the work necessary to transition to a brand-new position on the field. He praised Wilson’s ultra-competitiveness and superior work ethic as an athlete.
“I’ve been coaching sports for 11 years,” said Morin. “Lauren is probably the biggest competitor I’ve ever met in my life. She wants to win in everything she does. Even in practice, if she makes an out, she’s not pleased about it. Everything she does, she wants to be the best and she works really hard.”
Asked about her new perspective of calling a game from behind the plate, Wilson said, “I had never really been a catcher before. I practiced a little bit and I had gotten a few tips from Maddie Meagher, who helped me a lot.”
Wilson felt her experience as a goalkeeper was beneficial to becoming a softball catcher.
“I could move around faster, and I felt that my mobility as a goalkeeper helped me,” said Wilson.
One of the team captains, Wilson helped lead her team into the MIAA Tournament following a key late-season victory over Lynn English. She thanked Morin for instilling confidence in her leadership and ability.
“It’s been a great year,” said Wilson. “Coach Morin is more than a coach, he supports all of us on and off the field and he’s just a great all-around person. My whole career has been an awesome experience. I’m so proud to be a Ram. Mr. [Bill] Devin runs a super program,” said Wilson.
Wilson leaves Classical with 12 varsity letters from the soccer, basketball, and softball programs. Wilson’s towering list of individual accomplishments, 12 state tournament berths, and multiple NEC championships puts her in a special category among elite three-sport athletes. Former star Paula McGinn, who is an inductee in the Classical Hall of Fame, is a suitable comparison on the platform of excellence. And like McGinn, Wilson played on an undefeated regular-season 20-0 Lynn Classical basketball team coached by Tom Sawyer, former assistant to Gene Constantino. Francesca “Franki” Galeazzi was another tremendous three-sport standout for the Rams.
Wilson said after the Holland Softball Tournament that she’s “so grateful” for the support of her mother, her father, and her grandmother. “They were always there for me – I love them,” said Lauren.
Lauren Wilson’s next stop in her athletic journey will be Salem State University where she will be a strong candidate for the Vikings’ goalkeeping position and study criminal justice, with a minor in special education.
And there’s the shared belief among her coaches that Lauren Wilson will join the pantheon of Classical greats in the school’s Hall of Fame as soon she’s eligible for induction.