When junior Talullah “Lu” McColgin’s parents signed her up to play softball on her neighborhood rec team six years ago, she decided to give the sport a try. What started as a hobby has become her passion, and now, McColgin is a returning starter on the varsity softball team and on Premier, a select softball club. Since then, McColgin has seen her growth on and off the field.

“I think I’ve improved in every way I could have improved,” McColgin said. “I’ve improved on my offense, on my defense, on my pitching, on my catching. I’ve improved my mindset to have a better, more growth-oriented mindset, and to being more open to learning and changing.”

As much as McColgin has grown as a player since the first day she picked up a softball, it was on her rec team, Greater East Austin Youth Association, or G.E.A.Y.A, where McColgin first learned how to become a utility player, or someone who plays every position.

“For my rec team, we just needed people to play everywhere,” McColgin said. “I liked playing everywhere, and it was fun to constantly try new positions. It was really low pressure.”

Besides learning new skills, McColgin feels that becoming a utility player taught her valuable life lessons. 

“Being a utility player has taught me how to see the bigger picture and how the entire team works together,” McColgin said. “I think that’s very applicable to life.”

Most utility players play every position except for pitching or catching. McColgin, however, plays both, although she didn’t intend to become a pitcher. As a matter of fact, McColgin threw her first game at age 12 only when her team’s other two pitchers were out sick. 

After that game, McColgin didn’t expect to ever pitch again, until freshman year, when her team at G.E.A.Y.A. needed her to step up and take the mound. Then, she began to pitch more consistently and now, McColgin pitches games at a varsity level. 

“I love pitching so much,” McColgin said. “It’s so much fun. You’re involved in every play of the game. There’s a lot of pressure, but it keeps you focused.”

The key to handling that pressure, according to McColgin, is developing mental strength. 

“Having mental toughness translates to how you pitch physically,” McColgin said. “If you’re in your own head, you’re going to be really tight on the mount and not be able to get enough whip and you’re going to be missing your spots. You have to remember to be tough mentally and lose physically so that you stay focused but stay relaxed.”

Assistant softball coach Vaughn Stockton, who has coached McColgin since her freshman year, has noticed this fortitude develop along with her game.

“It’s easy to get downcast, and if you’re a player who lets those things get to you, it can really ruin the rest of the game,” Stockton said. “But Lu just keeps her head up and keeps working hard each and every play, and that helps bring our team up. It helps us come back if we get down, but it also helps us stay focused if we get up a lot.”

One of those teammates who feels McColgin’s positivity is Zara Cacci, a varsity catcher who has been playing softball with McColgin since they were both freshmen. 

“She has great energy,” Cacci said. “She’s always super positive and uplifting. I haven’t heard a single negative thing come out of her mouth. She’s always cheering on her teammates, and it really creates a good vibe for the team.”

McColgin carries this positivity to Premier, a select softball club that she joined this fall as a chance to play more competitive softball, get spotted by college scouts, and travel around the state for tournaments. 

“It’s definitely broadened my knowledge of what high-level softball is and what coaches expect at that level,” McColgin said. “It’s definitely been a little bit of a culture shock but it’s also really fun, a good experience, and the kids are all really nice.”

However, playing for Premier is a large time commitment. Premier’s practice fields are in Leander, which is a 30-to-45-minute drive from McCallum. In addition to the long commute, McColgin has two practices a week plus overnight tournaments around the state in the fall select season. On average, McColgin estimates that she plays 15 to 20 hours of softball a week for Premier. However, she enjoys every minute of it.

“Honestly, if I could play softball every minute of every day, I would be a very happy person,” McColgin said. “But also, I’d probably burn my arm out, so it’s probably a good thing I don’t do that.”

Since McColgin can’t “play softball every minute of every day”, she finds other ways to fulfill her happiness. One of these ways is through visual art, which she has explored on and off since she was a little kid. McColgin’s interest in art surged during the COVID-19 pandemic when she had a lot of time on her hands to learn the basics of proportions and color theory. Throughout middle school, McColgin kept creating art in her free time. In eighth grade, she decided to pursue art at a higher level and applied to the visual arts program at McCallum.

“Whenever I do art, I feel happy, and I wanted to go to McCallum because a lot of my friends were going to McCallum to be honest,” McColgin said. “And at McCallum, you could take three art classes at a time, and that sounded really nice to me because I love art.”

Since she was accepted freshman year, McColgin has enjoyed being in the visual arts program at McCallum, which she feels is unique for its high concentration of talented artists.

“I like being surrounded by wonderfully talented artists,” McColgin said. “It inspires me so much. And whenever I’m in art I’ll just walk around the room and admire everybody’s paintings and be awed by their beauty. It’s like I’m literally in the Blanton but better.”

During her time as a visual arts major at McCallum, McColgin has explored a variety of forms of art, including printmaking, painting, drawing and ceramics. Recently, McColgin won a Gold Key in the Scholastic Art and Writing competition for her print titled “Already the Vultures are Circling.” Besides winning a Gold Key, “Already the Vultures are Circling” was one of the five nominees for the American Visions Award in all of central Texas. William Cauthern, who’s been McColgin’s art teacher for the past three years, is happy to see McColgin’s work acknowledged.

“I’m proud of her,” Cauthern said. “She’s representing central Texas on a national level.”

McColgin also pursues another type of art: music. She is a guitarist in two bands, the Janes and the Johnny Hash Browns, each of which has a slightly different style. The Janes is mainly punk and classic rock, while the Johnny Hash Browns is technically cow punk, according to McColgin. Recently, the Johnny Hash Browns played their first show on New Year’s Eve.

“It was really nerve-wracking, because it was our first show ever, and we messed up a lot, but it was really fun,” McColgin said. “It definitely took some getting used to, but as we played more and more, we started having more and more fun.”

McColgin also plays disc golf and mountain bikes but not on the competitive level that she plays softball. 

“It’s a way to unwind and really stress,” McColgin said. “There’s no college coaches watching you, there’s no game on the line. Both of those sports are a good way to get out in nature and get some fresh air.”

Despite all of her extracurricular activities, McColgin still finds time to maintain her standing as a straight-A student. Last year, McColgin made the Academic All-District softball team and is hoping to qualify again this year. While balancing schoolwork, softball, music, art, disc golf and mountain biking might seem like a lot, the key is not wasting time, according to McColgin.

“You have to be confident there is enough time in the day to do everything you want to do,” McColgin said. “You just can’t dally and spend an hour and a half on Instagram reels, although I’m somewhat guilty of that. You have to really set your mind to what you want to do and make sure that you take initiative.”

As time-consuming as playing softball is on top of schoolwork and being an arts major, McColgin feels that it’s worth it for the happiness the sport brings to her life.

“Softball brings me a lot of joy,” McColgin said. “I feel so happy when I’m playing softball and it motivates me to get better and to work really hard. It’s given me so much dedication and discipline in my life and given me goals to work for. It’s helped me get through bad times and it’s something that will always be there for me and inspires me to keep on going.”