DAILY PILOT HIGH SCHOOL FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:Eagles senior Taylor-made to dance and win

Taylor Brown is always the first one to arrive at Estancia High’s softball field, and always the last one to leave.

That approach of striving for the best makes Estancia High Coach Alan Caouette’s job a lot easier.

After helping the coaching staff set up before a game this week, Caouette gave his senior one last chore at the end.

“Taylor, lock it up, OK,” Caouette shouted.

“OK!” Brown yelled back, not knowing what the assignment entailed.

It didn’t matter to Brown. Whatever Caouette asks, she’ll try to deliver.

The job called for Brown to secure the gate to the batting cage, where Estancia stores equipment, valuable possessions.

It makes sense for Caouette to trust Brown because he said the second baseman is dependable.

Brown said she knows no other way.

“We owe a lot to our coaches,” Brown said. “[Caouette] gets us pumped for the game. [Assistant] Kendra [Wood], she knows everything there is about batting. They’ve definitely helped me out. They’re the heart and soul of this team. They put so much effort into us, and I just want to win it this year for them.”

The Eagles are on their way to accomplishing the feat in the Orange Coast League, where they’re 6-0 and on top.

Brown, batting .418 with 15 RBIs, is doing her best to make it happen.

Whether it’s by making a dazzling diving catch to end a threat, or clubbing a home run that would spark her teammates after showcasing a wacky dance, Brown is a performer.

With three league games remaining, Estancia (16-6) needs one victory to wrap up its first league crown in Caouette’s three years as the Eagles’ head coach.

A league title is alarming for Caouette, who said his previous teams never believed in being a winner.

Now he hears champions when they’re in the dugout cheering each other on. He sees it in the Eagles on and off the field. They’re confident, not afraid to strut what they can do.

Brown is the player the Eagles feed off. She loves the table-setting role. She is the leadoff hitter after all.

“I like to be able to set standards for the team,” said Brown, who has a .549 on-base percentage. “When I usually have a good day the whole team jumps on the pitcher.”

Good days for Brown usually mean the Eagles are in store for a dance. A weird one, if you ask Caouette.

“Like Shaq,” said Caouette of Shaquille O’Neal, the Miami Heat 7-foot-1, 325-pound center, known for his silly dances.

Brown makes no excuses for her boogying down.

“I just like dancing,” she said. “[It’s] kind of really goofy, nice little shake, just for fun.”

Behind the playfulness there is more to who Brown is.

“She’s just one of those people in life that’s going to be somebody,” Caouette said. “She’s like the team leader, the captain, the driving force, the heart and soul of the team.”

DAVID CARRILLO PENALOZA can be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at david.carrillo@latimes.com.