Alexe Proctor began playing softball when she was 7 and immediately showed some talent, but she didn’t want to pitch. As an 11-year-old, she was convinced by her father, Terry, to try it.

Perhaps Zack Medlock should send him a thank-you note.

Through Friday, May 23, Alexe leads John Stark with a 9-2 record and 1.10 ERA in 76 1/3 innings pitched. She’s compiled 101 strikeouts while limiting opponents to 12 earned runs in her 11 starts.

She threw a no-hitter against Pelham earlier this season and has yet to allow more than three earned runs in a contest.

And one of her two losses came in a 14-inning 1-0 setback to 14-2 Bishop Brady.

For her contributions in leading the Lady Generals to the best record in program history – a 15-3 mark with one game remaining – Proctor has been named the Indian Head Athletics Athlete of the Month.

Medlock, her high school coach, couldn’t be more thankful for her contributions.

“Alexe definitely sets the tone for us, and any coach in Class I would love to have her,” he said. “The thing that’s nice about Alexe is she can keep us in games, and she can dominate games, too. She does a nice job controlling play, and she doesn’t ever get too up or too down.”

In a May 9 contest against Pembroke, Proctor had given up five runs – three unearned – in the fifth inning, and Medlock thought for a moment she might be getting rattled.

Instead, she struck out five of six batters the final two innings and taught her coach never to doubt her composure again.

“The best thing I can say about Alexe, besides all the things she’s doing on the mound, is she understands her role on the team,” said Medlock. “I mean, they’re all equals, and she understands she’s no bigger than anyone else on the team. Despite all the great things she’s doing, Alexe respects all her teammates and respects her coach.”

While Medlock is appreciative, it’s teammates who speak most glowingly about the junior fireballer.

“I see her attitude everyday, and it’s unbelievable,” said catcher Taylor Buxton, Proctor’s long-time best friend and battery mate. “When she’s on the field, even if a batter gets a big hit, she’s right back, focused on the next hitter. She knows how to stay in the game and let it roll off her shoulders.”

Proctor, however, refused to take sole credit for her confident demeanor. After all, she said, if she doesn’t get the next out, Buxton or one of her other teammates will get the job done.

“Once I have a baserunner on, I know either she’s going to get thrown out by Taylor, someone is going to make a nice defensive play behind me, or I’m going to take care of things on my end and strand her on base,” said Proctor, who credits her progress to a dedicated offseason practice regimen and a strong bond with her teammates. “It’s so surreal.

The team is just a dream team. You want to be on this team. I mean, coming into this season having known these girls for a long time … We knew what we wanted to do and it’s just a matter of setting our minds to it and producing the results on the field.

“This season is the one you’ve been looking forward to your whole life,” she added. “It’s one of those things you’re going to look back on, even after college, and talk to your kids and say, ‘Hey, when I was a junior in high school …”

(Editor’s note: The Athlete of the Month receives a $50 gift certificate courtesy of Indian Head Athletics.)