When the injury gods finally decided to leave Paige Van Hise alone, she got the chance to show what she could do.
The Lawrence High senior suffered shoulder issues from swimming as a freshman; a torn meniscus from sliding into a base as a sophomore; and had two teeth knocked out by a ground ball hit by coach Dana Williams as a junior. It limited her to just 20 at-bats in her first three seasons of varsity softball.
Finally free to display her talents, Van Hise was hitting .370 with two doubles, a triple, eight RBI and eight runs scored through the Cardinals first 20 games. As of May 17 she was second on the team to Emma Dobkin in average and hits (20).
Van Hise’s efforts helped LHS into the Mercer County Invitational Tournament finals and a berth in the Central Jersey Group III tournament as Lawrence tried improving on its 7-13 record.
“We’re just not stringing hits together and we’re leaving a lot of people on base,” Williams said. “We’ve had some really close games. We’ve been right there.” .
Van Hise added that “We’ve had so much trouble picking ourselves up after an error. We’ll get so close and then we’ll lose by a run. Just one little thing can happen and we struggle to keep our heads up. It gets so frustrating.”
Not half as frustrating as not playing, however, and Van Hise has enjoyed her final season of softball despite the losing record.
“It was kind of a surprise,” she said of her hot hitting. “But I just went into it with the mentality of it’s my senior season and I have nothing to lose. There’s no stress on me so I just do what I know and it’s working out.”
Van Hise has also been able to pitch again and notched victories over Hamilton West and Hopewell Valley.
“She brings an awesome balance to our pitching with Emma Dobkin,” Williams said. “She’s just an awesome all-around kid. This is her first healthy season all the way through and at the plate she’s just the definition of consistent.”
Williams still bemoans the ball she hit that took a funny hop off the dirt and smashed into Van Hise’s mouth.
“She had to go to an emergency dentist,” the coach said. “and she handled that like an absolute champ.”
Paige is the second Van Hise to contribute to Lawrence’s athletic program as her brother, Tyler, caught for three years on the baseball team before graduating in 2022.
Following her big brother into the sports arena, Van Hise began playing softball for Lawrence recreation at age 6. She moved to Lawrence travel at 8 and went to West Windsor’s travel program at 10. She played there until this past year and decided to take a break from travel.
“It was nice to just relax,” Van Hise said. “And this season I just came in and told myself ‘Don’t worry about what happens, just have fun.’ In the past I felt pressure to do well in school and also have to do travel.”
Williams felt the time off aided Van Hise where the high school season was concerned.
“She put in the time with travel over the years,” the coach said. “Once she took a little bit of a break, that might have also made her motivated for softball this spring.”
As the Cardinals leadoff hitter, Van Hise came out smoking, going 6-for-8 with six RBI in her first two games. She had two four-hit games through the first 19 contests, and had a six-game hitting streak from May 2-11.
“She finds a way to get on base,” Williams said. “We call her a pseudo slapper. She doesn’t really slap but she’s a lefty and her goal is always to make contact and find a way. She seems to find gaps really well. Her contact is just really good on the ball.
“Being a lefty and speedy, she looks like a slapper. She has a great bunt, sometimes she’ll bunt for a hit, sometimes a sacrifice. She’s the type of kid who will do whatever we need at the time.”
Van Hise is also a smart type of kid, as indicated by her 4.4 weighted grade-point average. But she’s not quite intelligent enough to know how to describe her hitting style.
“I just go with it,” she said. “I used to get hitting lessons and I stopped a while ago. My swing is kind of weird and I just do whatever works.”
It worked quite a bit, which was no surprise to Williams.
“I thought she had it in her to have a season like this,” the coach said. “She’s one of those kids who plays because she truly loves the sport.”
That becomes apparent when she is on the field.
“Maybe she is stressed under the surface but she wears it very well,” Williams said. “She plays with a calmness about her that I absolutely love. I go out to coach third and say to her ‘Have fun up there.’ She plays with this cool confidence. She truly loves the game and being with her friends and teammates.”
And those teammates appreciate Van Hise as they voted her a team captain. It couldn’t make for a more complete package.
“She just loves the whole experience,” Williams said. “This is her final season and she’s making a point to have fun.”
Van Hise is following Tyler to Penn State. She will not play softball but is happy to be going to the Valley.
“I’ve been a fan all my life, it’s always been my dream school,” said Van Hise, who hopes to have a career in social media for a sports franchise. “They have a good (marketing) program, I really loved the campus and atmosphere. The football games are so much fun. And having my brother out there gives me a sense of comfort.”
When Van Hise leaves for State College, she not only leaves behind Lawrence High softball, but a group of township youngsters who enjoyed her tutelage.
“I’ve been working with kids since my freshman year,” she said. “It’s really fun and it’s a little rewarding to see them get better. When I played little league it was so much easier to listen to a high school girl. It was cool listening to them for a change from a parent-coach. I love taking it back to them and helping them as much as I was helped. I help with all different ages. I’ll go to their practices and games and I’m flexible with my schedule which is good.”
It’s a busy schedule that includes being a member of the DECA, the Peer Leadership Group and Operation Smile, which raises money for children with cleft palates. But she manages to fit in her coaching because it can help her as much as her students.
“It has at times,” Van Hise said. “You work to do more advanced things and you forget the basics sometimes. Coaching them gets me to think about the basics again.”
Her volunteer work has impressed Williams.
“She enjoys working with the kids,” the coach said. “She’s just a really cool kid.”
And a kid who finally got to show just how good she can be.
Paige Van Hise on the pitcher’s mound during a recent LHS softball game. (Photo by Sam Pastorella/Pastorella Photos.) ,
