Village Christian Receives a Breath of Freshman Air

Fifteen balloons were delivered to Lauren Nydam at Village Christian High on Friday, commemorating the freshman softball pitcher’s 15th birthday.

Two weeks earlier, Nydam was struggling with her pitching and worried that she would single-handedly burst the Crusaders’ playoff bubble.

“My pitches weren’t working and I was scared I would let my teammates down,” she said.

Now, Nydam and Village Christian are flying higher than those balloons.

Funny how two playoff no-hitters and the school’s first appearance in the Southern Section semifinals can boost one’s confidence and stature.

Nydam pitched a no-hitter against Mammoth in an 11-0 first-round victory and no-hit La Salle, 3-0, Thursday in the quarterfinals. In the second round, she defeated Bishop, 7-1, with a six-hitter.

“People seem to know who I am now, which is nice,” she said. “But that’s artificial popularity.”

When it comes to pitching, there’s nothing artificial about Nydam. She’s the real deal.

The slender 6-footer has pitched like a senior, baffling opponents with pinpoint control and an impressive combination of off-speed and power pitches.

Opposing batters are hitting only .098 against Nydam (16-3), who has thrown six no-hitters--two of them perfect games--and takes a 0.32 earned-run average into Tuesday’s Division V semifinal at Orange Lutheran.

No. 1-seeded Village Christian (22-4), which for the second consecutive season shared the Alpha League championship with No. 2-seeded Paraclete, is far from a one-woman team.

First-year Coach Jana Kovar, a former Village Christian pitcher, inherited a lineup with only two seniors and has relied on several younger players.

Sophomore catcher Dena DePompa, batting .386, sophomore second baseman Patricia Servillo, at .352, and junior third baseman Julie Stone are among those who have responded.

But softball success begins in the pitcher’s circle, where Nydam figures to dominate through 2004.

“We’ve got three more years with her,” Kovar said. “I’m very optimistic about the future. As well as she is doing now, the nice question is what’s she going to be like two or three years from now?

“One can only hope it’s going to get even better.”

It might be difficult to duplicate this season.

In 129 1/3 innings, Nydam has struck out 184, walked 18 and allowed 43 hits while posting 10 shutouts.

She was named most valuable player of the Duarte tournament after pitching a perfect game against Temple City in the final.

She outlasted Sara Gonzales and Paraclete in one of the season’s best pitchers’ duels, striking out 21 in 18 innings for a 1-0 Alpha League victory.

“For a freshman, I think she’s done excellent,” said Coach Margaret Neill of Paraclete, which also defeated Nydam, 1-0. “She’s done well for a player any age, period.”

As an eighth-grader, Nydam pitched Village Christian’s middle school team to an undefeated season and followed that with a strong summer, helping her travel ball team, the Spirit, to the 14-under Triple Crown World Series.

But a starting position at the high school level wasn’t exactly waiting for her.

Nydam had to battle three pitchers, including sophomore Jessica McIntosh, a second-team All-Southern Section selection after going 12-6 with a 1.28 ERA as a freshman.

Luckily for Nydam, Kovar kept an open mind.

“Being a first-year coach, I threw the job wide open,” Kovar said.

“Lauren immediately asked me, ‘What do I have to do to make the varsity?’ and I told her to show me her heart.

“Every day, she came out and threw, asked questions and was very willing to learn.”

Ever since, Nydam has been checking things off her to-do list.

There’s only one item left.

“My first goal was just to make the varsity,” she said. “Then it was to win the starting job and help the team win the [section] championship.

“I hope I can say that I achieved them all by the end of the season.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

BASEBALL

City Section Quarterfinals

(Games at 3 p.m. Tuesday)

Championship

Narbonne at Chatsworth

San Fernando at Banning

Carson at Poly

Roosevelt at Granada Hills

Invitational

Westchester at El Camino Real

Bell at Cleveland

Van Nuys at Eagle Rock

San Pedro at North Hollywood

Southern Section Semifinals

(Games at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday)

Division III

Norte Vista at Westlake

Division IV

Bishop Amat vs. Chaminade at

Birmingham High

Division V

Whittier Christian vs.

L.A. Baptist at Mission Hills

Little League Senior Field

Cerritos Valley Christian vs.

St. Bonaventure at

St. Bonaventure Field in Saticoy

Division VI

Boron at Grace Brethren

SOFTBALL

Southern Section Semifinals

(Games at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday)

Division II

Thousand Oaks at Anaheim Canyon

Division V

Village Christian at Orange Lutheran

Paraclete at Western Christian

Division VI

Oaks Christian vs.

Victor Valley Christian at

Hood Park in Victorville

Linfield vs. Faith Baptist

at Grace Brethren