By Kyle Coppola
Tavares Softball Stars Leaders On And Off The Field
The Tavares High School softball season may have come to a close, but a few players in particular continue their leadership off the field. For Olivia Padilla, Jasmine Lawrence, Emmy Lee, and Aliyah Cantu-Lopez, they have stuck together over the past few years no matter what adversity has been thrown their way.
These four juniors were very impressive this year, and the record that Tavares had does not reflect the teamwork that was displayed on the softball field. “Each one of these girls is a team player. They have grown into great leaders on and off the field. That’s what makes them so special,” says Athletic Director Tracey Hanson.
This tight group of ladies had a great year. Jasmine Lawrence led the team with 25 hits and 23 RBIs, while Emmy Lee had 18 hits and 13 runs scored. Cantu-Lopez had 20 hits, and Olivia Padilla contributed 14 hits and 13 RBIs.
But these girls have also had a positive effect on the underclassmen. Bailey Rasmussen and Emma Pattee, who are both sophomores, had over 20 hits this year. Rasmussen batted .375, while Pattee batted .344.
There were some ups and downs this year. Some highlights included wins against MDCA and The Villages, along with a district quarterfinal game for the ages that went into extra innings against Lake Weir.
This team has a lot to build upon in the future. They are still a young group of talented athletes. The juniors who led the team this year will come back as senior leaders next year. Tavares High continues to bolster its athletics and academics. The future looks bright for Tavares High.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
