Sacrifice, hard work pay off for Campbell
Days like May 10 have reminded Laura Campbell her sacrifice has not gone unrewarded. Facing a must-win situation, Geibel Catholic rode Campbell’s right arm to a 3-0 victory over California and a spot in the WPIAL softball playoffs.
Campbell wrote one of her best career performances into the history books that day, striking out 17 hitters.
“I just really wanted to win that game,” Campbell said. “It was great that I struck out 17 hitters, but I think our team played great as a unit.”
Campbell has done great, not only athletically, but academically as well. For this, she has been selected as the top female student/athlete at Geibel Catholic High School and will receive a $500 scholarship through the Davis & Davis Student/Athlete Scholarship Program.
The program, sponsored by Davis & Davis Law Firm and coordinated by the Herald-Standard, will culminate with a banquet to be held at 5 p.m. Sunday at Shady Side Inn.
Campbell, who finished high school with a 3.8 grade point average, will continue her education at Slippery Rock University, after also taking a look at Bethany, Westchester, Gannon and West Virginia Wesleyan. She will major in sports management.
“It’s a really sports-oriented college and they have really nice facilities,” she said of Slippery Rock. “I heard there were a lot of opportunities for getting a job and being that I love sports so much, it seemed the right thing to do.
“And there’s the opportunity for me to play softball there. It made my choice easier. If they wanted me on the team, than I would think about going there.”
Softball, in which Campbell has lettered four years, has been a big part of her life. Not only did she play for the Lady Gators, but Campbell is also a member of the Pittsburgh Power and the West Newton Silent Rage, both traveling teams.
Her position also allows her to be involved in every play.
“It (pitching) puts you in command,” she said. “Especially since you have to make a decision on what pitch to throw and the location. Everything you do affects the outcome of the game.
“There was a lot of sacrifice involved. You give up a lot of your free time, but the hard work does pay off.”
Being chosen to receive the Davis & Davis Scholarship only confirmed that to Campbell.
“I was really excited to find out I had been selected,” she said. “It’s a real honor to be chosen as the best female scholar/athlete in your class.”
Campbell said her parents, Allen and Cheryl Campbell of Grindstone, have been a big part of her success.
“My dad has pushed me to do really well,” she said. “He spent a lot of time with me and my mom sacrificed a lot of her time taking me to all my events.
“I gave up a lot of my time going to clinics on weekends for pitching. But now I have the opportunity to play in college when a lot of other players don’t.”
Campbell also played volleyball for three years and basketball for two. She was a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Academic Quiz League, Math League, Students Against Drunk Driving (S.A.D.D.), the Geibel Aerospace Program and Students Taking Active Roles.
Juggling her academics, after school activities and athletics was rough, but Campbell always seemed to be one step ahead of everything.
“I just tried to do my work and have everything done on time,” she said. “If I did that, there wasn’t a problem. I’d come home from a game and do my homework right away.”
Campbell hopes to continue excelling in academics and athletics at Slippery Rock as she did in high school. She knows she has a good start.
“At Geibel, there were so many activities to do, I was busy all the time. Any activity you could think of, there was always something to do.”
And always, Campbell did it well.