THE FRONT ROW WITH BRUCE BOURQUIN: Friday, May 15, 2015

After missing the first eight games of the season, senior third baseman Shayna Woolley of the Lakeland High softball team picked up right where she left off last season.

A three-time member of the all-4A Inland Empire team, the 18-year-old returned a few days after spring break on April 11 and hit a double in an 11-0 loss on the road to Sandpoint, in the first game of an IEL doubleheader. In the second game, Woolley had a huge game, going 4 for 4 with four RBIs in a 13-9 victory to the Bulldogs.

An indicator of Woolley's importance? After starting the season 0-7, the Hawks (8-15) have gone 8-8 since her return, including a 6-2 record in league.

WOOLLEY IS from a softball family, including her mother, Trina, who played the game when she was young. Shayna began playing at the age of 5.

"I was out with medical issues," Woolley said. "I was pretty frustrated. Softball has been a big part of my life. It sucked not having to help my team out during games."

But the time off had at least a few advantages, as she saw the game from a different angle from the bench, sitting near coach Colleen Bevacqua and her staff.

"I was able to see how their hitting was," Woolley said of her opponents. "I was able to make myself see certain hitters, where they hit the ball the most. A lot of balls are hit to me at third base."

In Lakeland's 12-8 victory over Sandpoint in the 4A Region 1 championship on Saturday at home, Woolley keyed a comeback from a 6-0 deficit with a third-inning grand slam that cut it to 6-4. It was Woolley's first home run of a season in which she hit .414 with six doubles.

"She's been one of my top ballplayers I've coached," Bevacqua said. "She moved from third base to first base as a sophomore, when we finished second at state.

She's always been a kid that goes wherever the team needs her. She is a big part of our team. She leads by example, she has an excellent work ethic. She's an amazing person on the field. If she's playing well, the team plays well."

The win allowed the Hawks to advance to today's first round of the state 4A softball tournament at Ramsey Park in Coeur d'Alene. At 11 a.m., Lakeland will play Middleton (19-4), the runner-up from District 3 in southern Idaho.

"I think we can come out like we did on Saturday and go on to the next game," Woolley said.

Woolley has some state playoff experience. As a sophomore, she came back from a two-month overall absence - including the first month of the softball season - due to a torn meniscus she suffered playing volleyball for Lakeland.

"It was a long recovery," Woolley said. "It felt awesome; we were able to make it to the final game."

WOOLLEY'S CHILDHOOD journey has worn some tires on the highways and freeways. Born in Redding, Calif., at the age of 2 her family moved to Beggs, Okla., a town of 1,255, because her father Steve got a job as a control room operator.

At the age of 8, they moved again, this time to Post Falls. Shayna went to elementary school in Post Falls, but three years later, they moved again to a different part of Post Falls, closer to Rathdrum.

Shayna's made the most of her time since her parents and her sisters, 14-year-old Taylor and 11-year-old Sydney, moved to their current digs. Shayna has spent the past two years working as a referee with the Rathdrum Parks and Recreation. She normally helps younger children with their soccer and T-ball activities. Taylor, an eighth-grade student who will attend Lakeland this fall, also plays softball.

Woolley said she wants to stay local, with plans to attend North Idaho College and she wants to try to make the softball team as a walk-on. She plans to major in secondary education, with hopes of becoming a teacher in the future. It's something she has wanted to do on her own.

"I help my sisters with their homework," Woolley said. "I figured why not go out and help these kids?"

So Woolley, who said she also likes to go camping and be part of road trips, will try to help the Hawks go out on top on her one last trip. While a state championship would be fantastic, Woolley has already accomplished so much. Regardless of Lakeland's results this weekend, she's already a big winner.

Bruce Bourquin is a sports writer at The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2013 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @bourq25