Most softball programs, especially at the NCAA DII level, aren't as fortunate as UMSL is to have an assistant coach that owns an Olympic silver medal.
 
Lauren Lappin has played at the highest level and brings that experience and knowledge to her Triton players.
 
In the last four years, Lappin has helped UMSL and head coach Amanda Scott to a 124-70 (.639) record, three trips to the NCAA Tournament and two GLVC Tournament championships.
 
Find out what makes the game of softball so special to Lappin and hear about her Olympic experience in this week's Get to Know feature.
 
Softball has been a huge part of your life from playing collegiately at Stanford to the Olympics to coaching both college and professional teams. What makes the game so special to you?
It really has played an integral part of my life. Every phase of my life I remember being involved in the game. Now I feel like I'm able to reflect on the deeper lessons I've learned in the game and I'm able to help teach the next generation at all levels, the intricacies of the game and how demanding it is physically, mentally and emotionally. And how many analogies that you can pull from our sport through failure and resilience.
 
Even though the NPF season in which you are head coach for the Chicago Bandits was cancelled, you still got to be involved with the inaugural softball season of Athletes Unlimited. So for five weeks you were in a "bubble". What was that experience like?
It was pretty incredible to see the amount of people – we probably had about 100 people in what we called the shield. It was intense and strict, but once we settled into it, it actually shows you how much you don't need and how much access to things you don't need. Everyday things that are actually kind of luxury things like driving through Starbucks, which we weren't able to do. Groceries and all food had to be delivered – I've never spent so much on Uber Eats and Door Dash! But they did an incredible job of keeping us protected and secure while still giving an experience to the athletes.
On the softball side of things, it was so refreshing and awesome to get back into the game on a daily basis. Everyone there was starving for it. I was really sore that first week throwing BP and bongo, but once we got into it, it was awesome to have the routine of the game back in my life. Athletes Unlimited was such a unique and creative format and model of the professional level and then to see these athletes that have been playing the game for a long time experience it in a new way. I feel lucky and that it was kind of a silver lining of all this COVID stuff.
 
You won a silver medal in the 2008 Olympics. What was that experience like?
It seems like an understatement of a word, but it was incredible. It was something I always dreamed of ever since I was a little kid. I would watch the Olympics and thought it was the most unbelievable experience to see all the these athletes from different parts of the world, representing their country and playing a sport that they've worked so hard for and love so much. So it was always my goal. It's not lost on me that not many people get the opportunity and a lot of things have to fall into place. Our country is deep in talent and always has been. So for me to be able to get that opportunity, I just soaked it all in, and it was amazing. I'm able to put into perspective the fact that we did win a silver medal now. We were shooting for gold and the USA had never lost a gold medal game. So we were disappointed when it happened. But now I'm able to see people's reaction when they hear that we were still the silver medalists or see the medal and I can understand how cool that is and that not many people get to experience the Olympics, let alone get on the medal stand.
 
Speaking of that silver medal, is it something you keep displayed or locked up?
I actually don't have it displayed. I have it put away. I'll pull it out when I get asked to at camps or clinics or when speaking to a group. I actually spoke on a Zoom this summer to a youth organization and they wanted me to show the medal so the medal is actually more accessible now, but it's kind of embarrassing sometimes when I'm asked where it's at and I'll say it's in a box in the basement somewhere!
 
What do you enjoy most about coaching?
I'm super competitive so I enjoy the competition. Seeing all the work that our student-athletes have put in on the front end of competition and seeing them perform. And all the work leading up to that. I'm technical about the game and I love practice so much. I really enjoy seeing the athletes get out there and grind with the confidence of all the work they put in on the front end.
 
What keeps you coaching at UMSL when you could coach anywhere?
I love this level because you really get a purity of the game. It's not jaded by DI or big money or big scholarships. When Amanda and I came to UMSL we inherited a very successful program. And to come here and get a little bit more of that competitiveness, that I think that we both love, is really cool, while still having the balance of the student-athlete experience is what I really like about the DII level. There's that emphasis on the holistic student-athlete experience and its just not all about sports all the time. I love being able to see our student-athletes experience different things while in college without being hyper-focused on their sport. And then just for us specifically, we're competing for a championship all the time. Every day of the GLVC season, we are trying to win every game to put us in a position to win the GLVC Championship, to get prepared for the tournament and then go try to do something great in the NCAA Tournament. We've also worked really had to create a culture with our student-athletes that means something and that they are empowered by and feel is special. I think we've achieved that and so to see them take ownership of the program and to be able to experience our awesome group on a daily basis is really special.
 
What do you enjoy doing when you are not on a softball field?
I love nature and love to travel – which obviously, in a COVID world, has been limited. But I have a bike that I like to go on bike rides and explore all the awesome dense parks in St. Louis. I like to hike and do yoga and listen to live music, which again has been limited because of COVID. But I've been trying to consume whatever virtual concerts different artists have been having.