McCoun McCauley, Laura

"The place I always felt most comfortable, accepted, and accomplished, was on a softball field." These words spoken by Laura McCoun McCauley sum up her emotions perfectly because Laura literally lived and loved the sport of her lifetime--softball.

And how could she not adore the slow pitch game. As a baby, her first words must have been ball and bat because her mother, Betty Hollis McCoun, and her aunt, Juanita Hollis Zutt, were both avid players who spent their weekends and nights at the softball diamonds.

Both Betty and Juanita were softball hall of famers inducted into the Louisville Metro ASA Hall of Fame and Aunt Juanita also is a member of the Kentucky Softball Hall of Fame.

Add Eddie McCauley, three-time world champion with Riverside Paving of Louisville, and the third family member inducted into the Kentucky Softball Hall of Fame, was certainly Laura's charm. Laura married elite left fielder, Eddie, and her love for him made her affection for softball pale by comparison.

After countless days at the ball park with her mom and aunt, Laura began playing in 1967 with her dad as coach where she honed her skills at the Lyndon Parks and Recreation.

At the ripe old age of 13, Laura was inserted into her first competitive game for the Do-Diggers in the Lexington Kentucky ASA State Championship where she first played outfield. In that inning, three balls were hit to left center field and all were caught by the 13-year old--that was a memory Laura is very fond of. Laura's defensive skills were utilized mainly at shortstop and third base, but she was more recognized as a power hitter, and her many all-tournament awards mainly for the Do-Diggers attest to her batting prowess.

Miss McCoun McCauley earned three all-tourneys at both the Perryville-Danville Invitational and the Middletown Invitational plus was the MVP in Lebanon, KY.

The Do-Diggers were prominent and dominant in the Louisville region winning Louisville Metros and representing Kentucky in two national championships.

Later in her softball career, Laura moved from the infield to behind the plate as an umpire beginning in 1984. Umpiring the men, she became known as a no-nonsense ump that hustled into position to make her calls and was viewed as very fair in calling the game.

She was asked to umpire in several state, regional, and national championships and holds her stint at the Nationals in Las Vegas in 1998 in high regard. In Vegas, Laura was honored as the head umpire for the two championship games in 1998.

A couple of decades of playing and 45 years as an umpire are just part of what makes Laura McCoun McCauley a true ambassador for the sport of softball. She was a fan watching her husband play, she runs a couple of softball websites, and she was even asked to scout as the ASA Nationals for hubby's Riverside team by assistant coach, JD Wolz.

Inducted into the Louisville ASA Metro Hall of Fame in 1991, Laura can now add the Kentucky Softball Hall of Fame to her storied softball resume.