Voice Of Reason

As Penn's ace pitcher prepares to begin her wind-up, outfielder Laurie Nestler stares hard at the opposing batter, despite the constant Warren Field wind blowing ferociously in her face. Nestler, in deep left field, bends her knees and shifts her weight to the balls of her feet. "Common, Vicki," Nestler shouts. "Let's go 14 [Vicki Moore's number].? Okay guys, two down, let's get one more.?" For three years, Nestler has not only been a star for the Penn softball team, but also the vocal leader. Two other Quaker veterans -- Moore and starting centerfielder Kara Lecker -- quietly lead by example. But Nestler, as anyone within shouting range of the ballpark can attest, is the voice of the team. Nestler does her part helping the 6-15 Quakers between the foul lines. She tops the team with a .418 batting average and leads the Ivy League with five triples. But while a star on another struggling team could choose to concentrate on individual stats, Nestler has decided to focus even harder on the team. After coming out of the gates slow in her previous two seasons, Nestler has hit well from game one this year. On opening day, Nestler went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a home run. But more gratifying for Nestler was getting the 8-3 win. "Anytime I can help the team get a win, that is what is most important to me," Nestler said. Since her freshman year, Nestler's parents have traveled to just about every one of her games -- home or away. While supportive of their daughter's decision to attend an Ivy League school for educational reasons, Nestler's parents are also happy to see her play Division I softball. At the age of nine, Nestler, without any encouragement, asked her parents to sign her up to play softball. But there were not any softball teams available for girls her age. So Nestler joined a baseball team, becoming the only girl to play little league ball in her home town of Hampton Bay, N.Y. For close to four years, Nestler not only played in the league, but improved her hitting and fielding each year . In the summer before her freshman year at Villa Maria Academy, Nestler joined a summer softball league to improve her game. When Nestler entered high school, she managed to keep herself busy by playing field hockey in the fall, basketball in the winter and softball in the spring. All four years in high school, Nestler remained a three-sport athlete while achieving honor roll status. "When Laurie first joined the team, I could see she was special because she wanted to win so badly," Villa Maria softball coach Kathy McCartney said. "What made Laurie become such a great player was her versatility. No matter what position I put her in, she excelled. By the end of her four years, Laurie had gone from being just average to becoming an all-around solid softball player." As senior year at Villa Maria Academy finally did roll around, Nestler found out what McCartney had been telling her for four years: she was among the top softball outfielders on the East Coast. Division I colleges from all over the Northeast called Nestler with the hope of making her a believer in their program. Villanova, Rutgers, Princeton and Cornell were among the interested parties. But it was Penn coach Linda Carothers who recruited Nestler the hardest. "After being contacted by some of Laurie's summer ball coaches, I was told that while Laurie was still a little raw, she had the potential of being a good collegiate softball player," Carothers said. "Laurie has always been a competitor. From her freshman year [at Penn], she has tried every year to improve her game. I wasn't too sure what to expect out of Laurie, but it didn't take long before she proved to me that she had what it takes to be a competitor." Nestler spent the first half of her freshman year playing for the field hockey team. But before she knew it, spring arrived, signaling the start of softball season. During Nestler's first season, she formed a bond with two other freshmen outfielders -- Lecker and Lisa Zelnick -- which today has blossomed into a strong friendship. Not only have the three girls become companions off the field, but on opening day this year, leftfielder Nestler, centerfielder Lecker and rightfielder Zelnick comprised the starting outfield triumvirate for the Quakers. The special relationship first formed between Zelnick and Nestler before Lecker became part of the group. Since Zelnick had only played slow-pitch softball in high school, she would often watch Nestler during games, trying to gain any insight into the fast-pitch collegiate game. "Freshman year, I definitely admired Laurie, not just because she was starting, but also because Laurie was such a good fielder and hitter." While Nestler began her Penn career at shortstop, a few days before the regular season began she escaped back to her more comfortable position in left field. The move back to left field was followed by a strong season at the plate. A .272 batting average, 10 RBIs (third best on the team), four doubles (second best) and second-team all-Ivy honors translated into a stellar rookie season for Nestler. Despite the postseason accolades, Nestler was not satisfied with her rookie year because the Quakers managed just a 14-21 record. "I really enjoyed my freshman season," Nestler said. "I was just happy to be starting on a Division I team, but it would have been better if we could have won more games." But Nestler's freshman success made her sophomore struggles all the more difficult to handle. Asked to move back to the infield, Nestler was never comfortable in the field and consequently faltered at the plate. Although nervous about the move to the infield, Nestler realized that Carothers was in a bind without a starting shortstop and accepted the challenge. But the move turned out to be disastrous, and it was two-thirds of the season and 30 errors later before Carothers recognized that Nestler would never be a shortstop. Upon Nestler's return to the outfield, she batted .344 against Ivy competition, piling up eight doubles in 12 games and receiving honorable-mention all-Ivy recognition. Nestler's positive ending to an otherwise nightmarish season gave her confidence that a comeback was possible in 1996. And that is exactly what is taking place this spring. With Moore sidelined indefinitely with a hamstring injury, added pressure has been placed on Nestler. "One thing we can depend on Laurie for is the big hit," Zelnick said. "She is a great hitter and one of our most important bats." Carothers couldn't agree more. "This season, Laurie has just been rockin' the ball," Carothers said. "I think Laurie is a talented young lady, and she knows the game real well." Nestler has done all she can to put last year's pitfalls behind her. "Right know I am just focusing on doing the best I can for the team," Nestler said. "If that means coming through with a clutch hit or making a big catch, I am going to try my hardest so we can start winning."