UNA sophomore Callie Steadman was named the Gulf South Conference Player of the Week after leading the Lions softball team to victory against West Georgia March 14.

“I personally don’t think I did great that week, but I guess other people did,” Steadman said.

The award is granted to a different player within the GSC division each week during the regular season. This was the first time Steadman had received the award during her collegiate career.

“She has been a starter all year and has been very tough out at the plate,” said Jason Anderson, UNA softball coach. “She had batted a .429 that week.”

Steadman began playing for the Lions after being spotted at a tournament in Florence her senior year of high school.

She said she played a different position in the outfield for each game during her first season at UNA. In total, Steadman started in 45 games her freshman year and led the team with a .333 batting average. She currently plays left field and bats third in the line-up for the Lions.

“I caught throughout high school and had played outfield a little bit, but I didn’t really know how to play — I just knew you needed to catch the play and throw it,” she said. “My first year here, they taught me all the things that I really needed to know, and I have improved a lot in the field.”

Anderson said Steadman’s improvement and leadership is evident on and off the field.

“She is a very high academic, and for a fairly young team, she is taking a role model position on the team,” he said. “She brings a lot of personality.”

The “role model position” she has assumed does not surprise Steadman’s friend and teammate Danielle Colwill, a sophomore who plays right field for the Lions.

“Callie is a very outgoing person and can always find a way to make you laugh,” Colwill said. “I am from Arizona, so I didn’t know many people when I first moved here, but once Callie and I hung out, we became great friends.”

Steadman, who is also applying for the UNA nursing program this spring, said balancing her softball schedule with her studies can be a little tough but said her teammates help motivate her to continue and reach all her goals. She said she hopes to be a role model for young girls who want to pursue softball as well.

“My No. 1 goal is to win it all, but a few smaller goals are to hit every ball at bat and to catch every ball that is hit to me,” she said. “It all pays off in the end and you meet girls that turn into best friends and then into sisters. No matter what, they will always be there for you and they won’t let you down.”