There are innumerable clich?(c)s about toughness and pain in sports, but when talking about senior Lauren Picciano, none of them truly capture her career.
"I've always known she's tough. She's done that since day one," said softball head coach Marie Curran. "Even her sophomore year when she broke her leg, she played for four or five more pitches before she had to give in. She's always been one of our toughest, hard-nosed players who is going to suck it up and do what she needs to do for the team."
Picciano, four-year starting shortstop of the softball team, has had to deal with a lot of adversity throughout her time in Buffalo. As a freshman, Picciano started all 39 games and was named the team's top newcomer. Picciano also had a career year statistically as she finished fourth on the team with a .270 average. With high hopes going into her sophomore season, Picciano played in only 24 games, as her season was cut short due to a broken leg.
Picciano came back strong in her junior season, starting all 50 of the team's games. However, as a senior, the injury bug struck again as Picciano broke her arm and after missing several games, returned to the lineup while still wearing a cast.
"It's hard to come back from long injuries," Picciano said. "It's good to have supportive teammates and have other people step up and play positions that they don't normally do. It's good to see other people step in when I can't."
While dealing with these setbacks, Picciano has had to change her role on the team from that of key player to vocal leader and teacher.
"She did a great job in the beginning of the year just being a leader by her presence, by her voice on the field," Curran said. "Then that had to drastically change. I know she worked real hard helping out whoever we had at shortstop, making sure they understood everything, always talking to them."
While it has been tough not being on the field, Picciano has accepted becoming a player-coach.
"(My role is) to lead, and to be supportive," Picciano said of her role on the team. "Obviously it's tough when I'm not 100 percent health-wise. (I have) to put my own frustrations on the backburner for the better of the team."
Curran's teammate, Marry Russell, says that watching Picciano fight through her injuries helps the team remain focused while serving as a source of inspiration.
"She's still hurting sometimes and sore, and that just makes everyone else's injuries not half as bad as hers are," Russell said.
Curran has noticed that the injuries Picciano has had to deal with have made her a stronger person both on and off the field.
"I think she's realized that she can endure a lot and keep going on," Curran said. "I know it's been very frustrating in her career. That definitely has taken away from how well she can play. Her senior year has been the hardest, not playing as much as you want to your senior year. But she's definitely grown stronger from it."
As Picciano's senior season winds down, she has chosen to enjoy the opportunity to be on the field, and live in the moment. Picciano also plans to stay involved with softball.
"I'm going to grad school at UB in the school of social work," she said. "I'll stay involved in softball through coaching and doing camps. Softball will still be in my life."
Looking back on her career, Picciano has no regrets and has seen personal growth through softball.
"There's going to be tough times, but in the end, I always wanted to be here," Picciano said. "(I learned) how to get along with people, how to deal with certain situations, how to step up. Especially with the injury thing, you learn a lot about yourself, things that you didn't think you'd need before."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
