National Honor for Pohlmeyer : Babe Ruth All-star Receives Sportsmanship Award at World Series

National award recipient Lauren Pohlmeyer is pictured with her parents, Mike and Dianne, at the Greater Lynn Babe Ruth Softball awards banquet Sunday night at Old Tyme Cuisine.

Lauren Pohlmeyer returned from the Babe Ruth Softball World Series in North Carolina with memories and a major award that she didn’t learn about until two weeks after the tournament.

Babe Ruth officials had selected Pohlmeyer as a recipient of a national sportsmanship award. She accepted the distinctive plaque at the awards banquet Sunday night at Old Tyme Italian Cuisine.

“It is a prestigious honor, actually an incredible one to win because it’s a national award and all the players in the World Series were eligible,” said John Kasian, who was the manager of the Greater Lynn Babe Ruth All-Star 16-Under team for which Pohlmeyer excelled. “And the award couldn’t have been given to a nicer young lady.”

Competing against the top Babe Ruth softball teams in the country, Pohlmeyer was twice named player of the game at the World Series. “So she had an excellent World Series all around,” said Kasian.

Pohlmeyer added more hardware at the banquet when she received the John Holland Most Valuable Player trophy in the Greater Lynn softball program.

The 17-year-old Lynn English senior was excited about her national sportsmanship honor, an accolade that will certainly look impressive on her college applications.

“My mother told me about the award after reading about it online and I was surprised,” said Pohlmeyer. “For Babe Ruth [officials] to recognize my character from a whole different state and choose me out of five teams, that meant a lot to me.”

Pohlmeyer played left field and was the extra hitter for the Lynn team. She is a varsity swimmer at English and a four-year varsity softball player. She is a strong candidate to be a captain of the Lady Bulldogs next spring.

Pohlmeyer’s softball career began in Wyoma Little League where she played for manager Bob Cuozzo’s Diamondbacks team and received the Michael Phelps Award.

“Mr. Cuozzo was my coach through Wyoma and most of Babe Ruth,” said Pohlmeyer. “He and the other coaches in Babe Ruth have helped me shape the way I want to be as a person and taught me how to accept criticism and how to excel in an activity and they showed me the right way to get there.”

Pohlmeyer’s positive attitude and love of softball have served as great influences on her younger teammates.

“I’ve been playing softball with her since my first year for the Diamondbacks,” said Shanna Zeramby, a sophomore at English. “She’s been a great teammate and a best friend. We had a great time together at the World Series in North Carolina. I love being her teammate. She’s a great role model.”

Pohlmeyer, whose older brother, John, attends Salem State, said her parents have been sources of support and encouragement.

“I couldn’t have done this without my parents,” said Pohlmeyer.

Mike and Dianne Pohlmeyer traveled to North Carolina to cheer on their daughter’s Lynn team in the World Series. The national sportsmanship award and the chance to play in the World Series was the perfect culmination to Lauren’s career.

“I’m very proud of her,” said Mrs. Pohlmeyer. “She’s worked very hard over the years. She’s been playing softball since she was nine years old when she started in the Wyoma Minors and then the Majors. I love going to watch her play softball. I probably get more joy watching her play than she gets playing. She’s had some great coaches. Bob Cuozzo was her coach for about six years. The trip to North Carolina was a tremendous experience for everyone.”

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