by Rachel Roberts
Special to Echo Sports

Consistent.

What other word would sum up an athlete like Leslie Clothier?

Since the junior from Moore, Okla. started playing softball at UCA as a freshman, she has been given awards other college players only dream of earning. She was the 2002 Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Year. She also made the GSC First Team All-Conference the same year. And last year she added an award for First Team All-GSC.

Coach Natalie Shock said Clothier has been very dependable both offensively and defensively.

"Her biggest asset is that she's so consistent," Shock said. "She really knows the game."

Even though other colleges like Oklahoma State and East Central Oklahoma were looking at Clothier while she was in high school to play for them, Shock said she did not have a hard time convincing her to become a Bear.

"We'd recruited another girl from that area who had played with her in high school," Shock said. "We got a tip from her about Leslie. The process, I thought, was pretty easy. She visited and liked it."

Clothier also said the choice was easy.

"I wanted to get out of the state," Clothier said. "I visited the campus, and I liked it.  I thought the athletic facilities were nice."

Her drive and capability to be so consistent comes from having parents who were both coaches. Her stepfather coached football, and her mother coached softball. Her mother was a college softball player and had Clothier playing the game by the age of four. Having such an active, athletic family has helped her stay focused and reliable on the field.

"I think it comes from my parents," Clothier said. "That's basically our lives. I think that's my mentality."

Through her career, she has mostly played infield. For two years in high school she played catcher but then moved to playing shortstop and is still playing that position. The team is sticking with what works.

"We take her for granted," Shock said. "She doesn't disappoint."

Last year she led in hitting with a .348 average. She had the team-high in doubles, 11, and runs, 32.

Playing college softball has been a rewarding experience for Clothier, who said the team does a lot of things together even off the field. She said a big part of being on a team is the bonding.

"You're out there for your teammates," Clothier said. "I like being out there with them.

"It's taught me discipline. I have an obligation to the team, not just to myself. Softball kind of keeps you on track. I've become more independent."

She has been studying sociology and criminology at UCA and does not have big plans to pursue a softball career once she graduates.

"My dream was always to play college softball," Clothier said. "It's pretty much over after this. I could see myself coaching for a league or something."

Clothier has helped pave the way for another good season for the Bears in 2004. With talent, drive and reliability, Clothier has what it takes to make her last two years on the team as consistent as her first two.