For Morgan Laub, the season will continue to be a process.

Last year, Laub took over as the main hurler in the circle for the Zephyrs, and she played a key role in the team’s ride to a District 11 Class 5A championship. She was 7-11 overall with a .414 batting average.

This season, Laub again is playing a major role on a team that lost a number of pivotal players from last year’s run. Through six games, Laub had a 2-2 record with a 5.90 ERA, recording 16 strikeouts and allowing 16 walks. The Zephyrs were 3-3 overall, but are now 6-4.

During the offseason, Laub worked to help fine tune her game.

As it is early in the season, I am just hoping to keep my pitch count low along with the amount of walks given up,” evaluated Laub. “Our coaches make sure to give us many opportunities to work in the offseason. I made sure to attend these and work very hard in the offseason, so I can benefit my team in the best way possible.

“We worked on fine-tuning my pitches from last year and seeing what works best in certain situations. We also worked on getting better spin on the ball. I currently throw four different pitches that we incorporate in many different ways throughout the game. While pitching plays a big role, my defense is just as important to the overall success of our team.”

Being one of the few returnees this season, Laub has assumed more of a leadership role this season.

“I believe that a role of a leader comes with the position of being a pitcher,” she said. “As I may not be the most vocal, I make sure to lead by example by working hard in practice and trying to help my team get better.”

Head coach Jeff Vivian is confident Laub will be a major factor this season.

“She is throwing well,” he said. “There are a couple thing we are ironing out but she has some strong innings against some strong teams. She had a tough-luck loss against Liberty, but otherwise she has been as advertised.”