Canyon Softball Benefits From Lindenberg’s Maturity

ANAHEIM —  Perception is important when you’re young, and the image Nina Lindenberg created, whether by her own doing or not, wasn’t good.

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Not a team player. Selfish. Unforgiving.

“That’s been blown way out of proportion,” Canyon teammate Kristy Kachig said. “I think a lot of the problem was intimidation.”

Lindenberg was the starting shortstop as a freshman and Kachig, a starter at second base the last three seasons, has seen her teammate post some intimidating statistics during their four years together.

And with Lindenberg’s aggressive personality, and some fragile egos, this monster image was born.

“Some of the older players didn’t want her to do as well because she was a freshman coming in and starting,” Kachig recalled. “She didn’t have their respect and she tried so hard to earn that, and she was really aggressive about it, and I think that may be why she got the bad rap about not being a team player. Now, everyone respects her.”

Oh, Lindenberg had her moments. Her sarcastic sense of humor rubbed some teammates the wrong way. And her frustration was often evident when teammates couldn’t perform as well as she could. But respect--that’s not a problem now. She was unanimously elected a team captain this year.

“That never would have happened a couple of years ago,” Canyon Coach Lance Eddy said. “Nina’s really matured as a person. She’s had this talent all along. She was younger and had trouble tolerating people who couldn’t play up to her level; there aren’t many who can.”

In the year of the shortstop in Orange County, Lindenberg is one of the best. She is fielding. 950, batting .419 and has a slugging percentage of .645. She has scored 14 runs, driven in nine and stolen 16 bases. And third-place Canyon (12-8, 4-4) is locked in a down-to-the-wire battle for a Century League playoff berth after three losses this week.

“When she was young, she knew she was good and her demeanor did not wear well with the other players,” Eddy said. “She learned she doesn’t have to put it in people’s faces. I can’t think of any negatives about her today.”

Somewhere along the line, Lindenberg met someone who reminded her of herself and decided it was time to change. Her unanimous selection as captain represented her teammates’ unconditional acceptance.

“It made me happy to think that people knew what I could do for them, that I would be there for them and back them up if they needed the backup,” Lindenberg said. “My freshman, sophomore and junior years, our team captains didn’t do anything but put us down, and I was the same way. When I made team captain, I knew I could help others by not putting them down because I didn’t like it when I was put down.”

That new attitude has changed the atmosphere on the Canyon diamond. The cliques are gone and so are the hostilities. Instead of put-downs, there is praise.

“The difference this year is that now we want to win instead of wanting to go home because someone is playing ahead of you,” Lindenberg said. “I’m better this year than last year just because I know my limits and I know what I can and can’t say. I know others’ capabilities and what they can do, and I don’t put them down because I know they’re giving 100%.”

Lindenberg has taken full advantage of her resources. The sacrificed summers and the hours of practice in the back-yard batting cage (with two pitching machines to emulate various pitches) have paid off: She received a scholarship from Long Beach State.

She has enough speed to pressure any defense, and at shortstop, she has “great range, a really strong arm and a great head for the game,” Eddy said. “If she chose, she could be a two- to three-year starter for the varsity baseball team. She’s been hitting baseballs in her yard since she was 7 years old.”

Hitting the smaller baseball instead of a softball has improved her batting eye. A right-handed hitter, she has exceptional power.

Eddy was the Comanche coach during Lindenberg’s freshman and sophomore seasons, and coached at Irvine Valley College last year. He’s back this year.

“I’m glad I’m back just to get a chance to watch her,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade her for any player in the county. She’s the best player we’ve ever had.”

Lindenberg no longer must prove herself to jealous teammates and point out that she belongs in the lineup. The most explosive thing about her now is her at-bats.

“I felt like sometimes I’d put too much pressure on my teammates instead of boosting them up,” Lindenberg said of her past. “If they made a physical error, I would get mad instead of telling them to shake it off and get it next time. It’s not right; you want to boost your teammates up instead of putting them down. I guess I just grew up.”