Besozzi Enjoying Success with Lancers

Lauren Besozzi graduated in 2008 from , where she played softball for four years and volleyball for three. She helped lead the Milford softball team to an undefeated season and a league championship her senior year. She decided to go out on a high note and hang up her spikes forever, leaving softball behind and following her passion to become a teacher. She followed that passion to Worcester State University, which at the time she admits wasn’t her top choice, but seemed like the best option for her education.

During the summer months prior to attending Worcester State, Besozzi started to miss the game she loved. Upon hearing former teammates talk about how excited they were to start playing again, she contacted the coach at Worcester State, and the rest is history. Besozzi played outfield for the Lancers and batted .303 in 66 at bats with six RBIs in her freshman season. In her sophomore year, she played in 39 games (all in right-field) and batted .270, hitting two home runs, driving in 18 and scoring 26 runs (good for second on the team). She helped the team make their first MASCAC Tournament since 2004 and their first post-season berth since 1997, making the ECAC Division III New England Tournament. The team also went 20-19 on the year, achieving their first winning record since 2002.

Besozzi is entering her junior year and was recently named captain for the upcoming season. When she’s not playing ball for the Lancers, she’s concentrating on her double major in elementary education and math.

Favorite food: Buffalo chicken with ranch dressing

Favorite movie: A League of Their Own

Favorite athletic team: The Boston Red Sox

Favorite book: My Sister’s Keeper

What’s on your iPod right now? Beyonce, but definitely anything else you can imagine.

What have you been up to since graduating from Milford High School in 2008?

I came into Worcester State with a double declared major in elementary education and math, so that alone takes up a great deal of time and work. I have to do a lot of student teaching and observation hours outside of the classroom as part of the major and the math and studying is tons of work. So when I’m off the field that’s generally what I’m doing. On the field, I’m playing outfield for Worcester State and I’ve been fortunate enough to play quite a bit, both of my first two seasons here. I’m starting my junior year and I’ve just been named captain, which is a huge accomplishment for me personally. I’m definitely taking on a lot more responsibility.

How have the past two softball seasons gone for you and what do you expect out of this season?

I’ve seen drastic changes [with the softball team] since freshman year. I came in not having a winning season freshman year to having a winning season and ending up coming in third in the MASCAC league my sophomore year. This was one of the best records Worcester State has had in the last 1o years. Now [this year], we have a lot of transfers that have come in along with four freshmen, and with this being a heavily weighed young team, it’s definitely going to be a lot of work, but our team has so much potential. I’m excited to see how the season turns out.

What made you choose to want to pursue softball in college?

Graduating high school, I did not think I was going to ever play softball in college. I had ended high school on a really high note, and I figured I wanted to stop there, but with some pressure and convincing from a lot of friends and family, I have made easily one of the best decisions of my life. I ended up playing a great deal freshman year, which I did not expect and working off that last year too, so it’s definitely been one of the best experiences of my life.

What made you choose Worcester State in the first place and were you looking anywhere else?

Worcester was on the lower ranking of my school choices…I looked at Stonehill, a couple of colleges in Boston, Bridgewater and Worcester State. Going in to the whole application process, I definitely knew I wanted to be a teacher and there was really no other choice than a state school because they have the best educations to become a teacher. So it basically came down to Bridgewater and Worcester, and I really couldn’t even tell you how I made that final decision.

What other activities do you do up at Worcester State?

I’m also involved in SAAC, which is Student Athlete Advisory Committee, where we do a lot of Community Service Projects around the city and work with the other teams in our Conference to do community service through the state.

Do you have any favorite moments at Milford High School whether it was on or off the field?

Having an undefeated senior year [in softball], was probably everything I could have asked for, though it wasn’t as pretty after the regular season, but leaving high school as league champs was absolutely awesome. The memories from my high school team are definitely something I’ll be telling my kids some day. Milford graduated eight seniors that year, and we all had been going through it together, all four years, very close friends and it was just awesome.

What hobbies do you have or what do you like doing in your free time?

Besides just relaxing, I would just say hanging out with my friends here and meeting up with friends at other schools and going home for a home-cooked meal.