GAMBIER – After assisting the Kenyon College softball team in a temporary coaching role throughout the pandemic-influenced 2021 season, Lauren Graf, a 2020 graduate, has been hired as a full-time assistant for the upcoming 2021-22 academic year, the school announced on Friday.
“Stepping in last season, Lauren did such a great job that it was a no-brainer to keep her on staff and move her into the position full-time,” Kenyon head coach Erin O’Neill said. “It takes a special kind of player to step in immediately after graduating, and Lauren is that type of person. She’s already made a positive impact on our program, and I know she will continue to do so. The players love her, too. I am so excited to continue working with Lauren and have her as part of the Kenyon Athletics staff.”
Graf was a four-year member of the Ladies softball program and played in 124 career games before her senior season was cut short by the pandemic. She produced a career .295 batting average with 59 RBI, 52 runs scored and 22 stolen bases.
During her sophomore season, she racked up a .339 batting average and earned a spot on the All-North Coast Athletic Conference Team. In her junior year, Graf, a native of Allen Park, Mich., swiped 13 bases, the ninth best single-season total in program history. She also recorded 89 assists, the fifth best single-season total in program history.
Prior to her abbreviated senior year, Graf was voted a team captain.
