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Lennard High Sophomore Pitches In

Tribune photo by JOHN CEBALLOS

Sophomore Lauren Capaldo is a pitcher on the Lennard Longhorns softball team. She recently re-teamed with her Lennard coach Mindy Miltner on the Tampa Mustangs, a travel team organization, which showcases its softball players as college prospects.

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By JOHN CEBALLOS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 28, 2008

RUSKIN - As the Lennard High School softball program continues to develop, certain players reflect the team's steady growth.

In their second season of play, the Longhorns increased their number of victories from one to four, and finished the season with a 4-16 records.

One of the players who helped bolster the team's win total was sophomore pitcher Lauren Capaldo.

"She's one of our more even-keeled and even-tempered players," said Mindy Miltner, head coach. "She works extremely hard for us, and she helped our team be better this past year."

Capaldo was the winning pitcher in one of the Longhorns' wins, a 15-14 home win over Tampa Bay Tech on Feb. 5. She finished the year with a 1-4 record and a 4.71 earned run average.

"I feel like we were pretty good this year, and definitely better than last year," Capaldo said. "We added some talent, but I also think that everyone on the team improved from the year before."

Capaldo would know, she was a member of the Longhorn team that went 1-15 during the school's inaugural season.

She has been playing softball for five years, going from playing at East Bay Little League to pitching and playing leftfield the past two years at Lennard.

Although Lennard's regular season ended in April, Capaldo remains under Miltner's tutelage. Miltner is now Capaldo's coach on the Tampa Mustangs, a travel team that showcases and develops its softball players as college prospects.

"I'd be interested in playing college softball," said Capaldo.

Before that, Miltner is confident in Capaldo's ability to help Lennard's team become a force to be reckoned with.

"I think our team is going to be a lot better next year, and I believe she's going to be one of our best pitchers."

GET TO KNOW

WHO: Lauren Capaldo

AGE: 16

SCHOOL: Lennard High School

GRADE: 10th

SPORTS: Softball

FUTURE PLANS: Has considered joining the Army

Reporter John Ceballos can be reached at (813) 865-1555 or jceballos@tampatrib.com.

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