When they were young, Lauren Meyers and Meghan Reed played for the same softball travel team and learned under the same hitting coach. They had another connection, as daughters of fathers who were also their coaches (Brian Meyers and David Reed).
“The reason we hit with Coach Dan [Funk] was because we wouldn’t take advice from our fathers,” Reed said with a laugh. “I think that’s pretty similar for all father-daughter coach-player bonds.”
Said Meyers: “Sometimes when my dad would tell me things, I would be like, ‘I know, Dad,’ because I was already thinking the same things he was, and I already knew that I was not performing the way I should.”
The ties that bind Meyers and Reed continue. Both helped C. Milton Wright capture the Class 3A state championship in 2017, enrolled at Salisbury, and are currently starters for a Sea Gulls team that is 26-1 overall and 2-0 in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, has won 21 consecutive games, and was elevated to the No. 1 spot in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III rankings on April 16.
Reed, a senior in her debut as the team’s regular second baseman, is tied for first on Salisbury in hits (37) and ranks third in batting average (.440) and runs batted in (22), while Meyers, a graduate student first baseman, ranks fifth in RBIs (16) and seventh in batting average (.328). Coach Lacey Lord said the duo has contributed heavily to the squad’s success this spring.
“They’re reliable, and they’re consistent,” she said. “I think whenever you can get that, it’s very comfortable.”
Meyers and Reed have known each other since 2013 when they both played for the Churchville Lightning. With them, the travel team won the 2016 World Fastpitch Connection World Series in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the 2018 USSSA Eastern National Championship in the 16U “Open” category in Salisbury, and the 2020 World Fastpitch Connection World Series again.
Both players said their early friendship was based on their desire to get better.
“We both play the game in a similar way,” Reed said. “So being able to connect on that level certainly drew us to each other. Lauren being a year older was always someone that I looked up to for pretty much anything. I just always aspired to play the game at her level.”
Another link was Funk, their hitting coach who worked for the Churchville Lightning and offered lessons in his basement before renting commercial space next to the club team’s indoor practice facility. Meyers and Reed credited their batting ability and dedicated this season to Funk, who died at 58 on March 25, 2023, after a long bout with heart-related health issues.
“He was hard on us but we both went to him, and he kind of shaped us into the people and players we are today,” Meyers said. “I’m getting emotional just talking about him. If I needed a person to talk to, he was the one. If I needed advice on anything, he was the one — softball-related or not softball-related.”
As sobering as Funk’s death was, one of the duo’s fondest memories was the Mustangs’ march to the state title in 2017. Reed recalled the team nursing a 3-1 lead against Huntingtown before third baseman Michelle Cisco launched a three-run home run in the sixth inning to cement a 6-1 victory.
“Suddenly, we were up by so much that we began to think, ‘Oh, my gosh, we could actually win the whole thing,’” Reed said.
Meyers said she committed to Salisbury over York, Kutztown and West Chester in October 2018. Three months later, Reed chose Salisbury over Susquehanna and Lebanon Valley.
Meyers said she spoke highly of Reed to Margie Knight, who was the coach at the time. Reed said she appreciated having Meyers to provide direction.
“It definitely helped having someone that I knew that I could contact if I needed anything,” she said. “I think coming in freshman year in general, it was a little bit rough because of COVID. It definitely helped knowing that Lauren was in my corner.”
While Meyers has been a full-time starter over the last four years, Reed filled a void at second base last spring. Lord said Reed’s play and chemistry with Meyers on the right side of the infield have validated her decision to promote Reed.
“For some people, it might have taken longer to adjust because you’re playing next to somebody new,” Lord said. “Lauren played next to Maddie Lemon for a good amount of time, but I think when Meghan stepped in, you know they had that connection because they knew each other. It was very seamless.”
This spring will be the last for Meyers and Reed at Salisbury. While Meyers graduated with a bachelor’s in marketing last May and is pursuing an MBA, Reed will graduate next month and has accepted an offer to the veterinary school at Wisconsin.
But they are motivated to cultivate as much success as Salisbury can stomach in honor of Funk and late Sea Gulls coach Margie Knight, who died July 31, 2022.
“Closing out my softball career with Meghan means a lot to me,” Meyers said. “We know what each other has been through and how to help each other in times of need. And with both of us knowing Coach Dan, we know that this is for him and Coach Knight and other people we’ve met along the way. We both want to go out on a high note and finish what we started last year with a national championship.”
Even as they prepare to go their separate ways, Meyers and Reed said they’re not feeling melancholy about parting.
“It feels more like a see-you-later kind of thing,” Reed said. “Our houses are 10 minutes apart. But I still think we haven’t processed it yet. With all of the social media and texting, we’re not going to lose touch.”
Winning the national championship is the obvious priority for both players. Getting the chance to celebrate that accomplishment together would be a bonus.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Meyers said. “That’s definitely the dream.”
Added Reed: “I would cry. … Lauren and I have gotten all of our other victories together. Why not just add one more at the end?”
Stevenson at Salisbury
Wednesday, 3 p.m.