By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Thompson High School softball standout Lauren Haskins will continue her playing career after her high school graduation, as she signed a softball scholarship with the Auburn University Montgomery Warhawks during a Nov. 14 signing ceremony.

Haskins, who has been named the state’s Class 7A hitter of the year and leads the Warriors in number of stolen bases, signed the scholarship while a standing-room-only crowd of teammates, family members, coaches and classmates in the THS cafeteria.

“Thank y’all for coming out, it really means so much to me,” said an emotional Haskins. “I can’t tell y’all how much you mean to me. I love y’all so much.”

THS head softball coach Kevin Todd said he’s proud of the hard work Haskins has put in to earn the college scholarship, but said he’s not quite ready to let her go yet.

“All of you who know Lauren know she’s been working toward this for a long time, and today she gets to celebrate it along with her friends and teammates. Lauren is really special. God really blessed her like no other player that I’ve ever been around,” Todd said. “You don’t see power and speed in one player like Lauren. She’s going to do great things, and I promise you she’s going to be an all-American at AUM. I’m going to miss her, but good thing we’ve got one more year together.”

“She’s one of our leaders in workouts, she works hard in the weight room, she leads about every sprint we run. She really works, and she’s learning to be a leader. Nobody plays the game harder than Lauren,” Todd added. “She’s harder on herself than I am or anybody else. Seven out of 10 times, she gets on base, and that’s unheard of in baseball and softball. I promise you in the next four years she’s got a chance to be one of the very best college players.”