Athlete Of The Week: Lydia Stratton

PLEASANT LAKE – An afternoon of nearly 30 runs has to start somewhere, and for Cape Cod Tech, their eruption against Mashpee last Thursday began with freshman Lydia Stratton.

Stratton led off the bottom of the first with a single and took second thereafter on a delayed steal. She was driven in just moments later to put the Crusaders on the board on the way to the 29-5 win.

In addition to holding down the leadoff spot, Stratton played three innings at shortstop and pitched two innings in relief. She finished with two runs batted in on two singles and a double.

“Since I'm leadoff hitter, I have to set the tone for everyone else,” Stratton said. “I have to always keep a positive attitude.” 

For Stratton, that philosophy applies when pitching in the circle as well.

“If I'm not doing so great, I can't really get down, so I have to keep the energy up,” she said.

Stratton wasn’t penciled into the leadoff spot within Cape Tech’s lineup from the get-go. Early in the season, head coach Alex Riker was searching for the hitter who’d be comfortable in the role. He tried different players. Stratton rose to the top.

“It's wild,” Riker said. “She came out of the blue. I'm like, ‘who is this kid, you know?’ And then she's very coachable. You can talk to her.”

Batting first in a lineup indeed has a different feel to it than every other spot. It also wasn’t something Stratton had ever done before. But with at-bats like the one to open Cape Tech’s afternoon against Mashpee pitching, it would appear she picked it up quickly.

“In the beginning, it was kind of hard, because I'd never been leadoff, and I felt a lot of pressure for that,” Stratton said. “But now I kind of like it, because I feel like I can set the tone for everyone else.”

From hitting first in the order to pitching to manning shortstop, Stratton has “been a cornerstone,” Riker said. He may have just been looking for a leadoff hitter, but it seems he found a lot more.

“It takes the right mindset, and she's got it,” Riker said. “I can put her anywhere. She's great. She's really great, and the great thing about her, she's putting the pressure on the other kids to play harder.”