University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Lauren Burnett
April 20, 2023 | Softball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Lauren Burnett, like so many athletes, has a very specific pre-game ritual. The Georgia softball freshman's involves drinking a very specific energy drink not typically found on the shelves of an Athens-area convenience store. So, yes, adhering to her superstition has become something of a pain in the rump.
An infielder/catcher from Mansfield, Ga., Burnett's first career hit was a double, on Feb. 10. Two days later, she hit her first home run. She also has a triple this season. In limited action, she has five hits in 13 at-bats -- and three of them went for extra bases.Â
During a recent Quick Chat, Burnett talked about superstitions, her start in softball, what she'd like to be doing in 10 years, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:Â
Frierson: It seems like softball and baseball players are known for their superstitions, so do you have anything you do or don't do before or during a game?
Burnett: Yes, I do. Before every game, I have to drink an Alani Nu Addison Rae Berry Pop energy drink, and I've been like that for over a year now. And I have to wear my hair the same way every game.
Frierson: Was there a super game you played that prompted you to do those things?
Burnett: Yes, yes. We had a really big game in California during my travel-ball season, and I had hit a game-winning home run or something, and that's what got this started.
Frierson: Do you have to load up on this drink so that you know you always have some available?
Burnett: Yes. It just happens that the one kind of energy drink I like is very, very hard to find, and I just happened to find that drink out in California because that's where they're made. It's really hard to find it here, so I'm having to order it. [Laughs]
Frierson: Is there a part of you that wishes it had just been a regular Powerade or something?
Burnett: Yes! And for a while, I was just doing the thing with my hair, but I just happened to drink that drink that day, and that's what made me gravitate toward that.
Frierson: Did you play a bunch of different sports when you were young? When did softball become your main one?
Burnett: I started out playing soccer, and I was not very good at it. I just wanted to keep the ball all to myself. You could only play softball in the spring, in rec league, and they wanted me to do something all the time, even in the fall, so I played baseball in the fall. I was always the only girl, and then I'd go play softball in the spring.
I remember one specific year, it was an all-girls baseball team, and we would play against all boys and we would beat them every time, which was just crazy.
Frierson: When did you know you were good? When did you realize you had a future in the sport beyond high school and travel ball?
Burnett: It was probably when I was about 14 years old. I was always bigger than everybody else, and I was playing a year up, so when I was 14 I was playing against 15- and 16-year-olds, and I was still doing good. That's what told me that I could do this.
Frierson: What is something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Burnett: Chick-fil-A — the chicken nuggets [laughs]. Most of the time I get the chicken sandwich, but it goes back and forth.
Frierson: Who is the funniest person on the team?
Burnett: It's definitely my roommate, Shorty, Jaydyn Goodwin. It's just like, she just brings light to everyone, and there's never a dull moment. Living with her, we just always talk and I can bet money I laugh during every conversation we have.
Now that we're talking, I remember I was wrong earlier about my Alani drink. I was actually in Oklahoma, and we played on Oklahoma's field, and I had hit a home run on their field. That's when it started, and then our next tournament was in California.
Frierson: Are you amazed at where softball has taken you?
Burnett: I am. I loved that experience; with softball, you never have time to go on holiday trips to the beach with your friends and things like that. I was dealing with that at a young age, too, having friends ask me if I want to go to the beach for spring break, and not being able to because of softball.
I feel like all of those trips I did take, for softball, were a vacation while also being almost like a business trip.
Frierson: What is your best or favorite moment ever on a softball field?
Burnett: Hmmm, there are so many. I know one time, I was in seventh grade, and I had hit a home run. This was when (former Georgia head coach Lu Harris-Champer) was watching, and I feel like that's what sparked my recruiting. I feel like that was probably my best moment I've had.
Frierson: When you were rounding the bases, did you look up at her?
Burnett: I actually didn't even know she was there. My parents told me afterward. I knew coaches were there, but I didn't think they were watching me. I thought I was just the little girl out there.
Frierson: In a perfect world, what are you doing in 10 years?
Burnett: In 10 years I'll be 29, and I would say my dream job but I don't even know what my dream job is yet. I would like to have a good, stable income, a job, and maybe kids. At that age, I guess that's a good age to have kids. I don't know yet [laughs].
Frierson: You're 19, you don't need to know the answer to that question. The whole point of college is to start to figure that out.
Burnett: I know last fall, I feel like I almost had a mental breakdown because I felt like I needed to know what I was going to do — and I had no idea what I wanted to do. I've already changed my major twice: I came in as Business, and then I was like, I want to do Psychology, and then I was like, there's no way I can do Psychology. So now I'm Communications.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
