Scholar Athlete: Delta Charter sophomore showcases qualities of leader

Published 12:03 am Thursday, February 12, 2015

Delta Charter’s Lee Lancaster plays football, basketball and baseball while boasting a 3.7 GPA. Lancaster will be the ace for the Storm when the season begins later this month. (Sam Gause / The Natchez Democrat)

Delta Charter’s Lee Lancaster plays football, basketball and baseball while boasting a 3.7 GPA. Lancaster will be the ace for the Storm when the season begins later this month. (Sam Gause / The Natchez Democrat)

FERRIDAY — If you’re looking for a normal high school student who cherishes sports and pours everything he has into academics, look no further than Delta Charter’s Lee Lancaster.

Lancaster, who will be a starting pitcher for the Storm this upcoming baseball season, is a quiet sophomore, but Delta Charter head coach Jarrett Hoffpauir said his actions on the field speak much louder than his words ever could.

“He’s the kind of kid we’re looking for,” Hoffpauir said. “He’s a straight A student. We never have any trouble from him. The athletic part is just secondary. He’s the whole package.”

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Lancaster said he boasts a 3.7 GPA at Delta Charter School, but despite his success in the classroom, Lancaster hopes the majority of his success takes place on the baseball diamond, so he can one day make it to Major League Baseball, like his coach Hoffpauir did.

“I want to go (to college) for baseball, but my backup plan is to get an engineering degree,” Lancaster said.

If that backup plan kicks in, Lancaster will likely follow the family trend and attend Louisiana Tech. If Lancaster does so, he’ll be following in the footsteps of his mother, Heather Lancaster, by becoming a Bulldog. But as a sophomore, college is a long way off, so instead of thinking about attending Louisiana Tech, Lancaster spends the majority of his time doing sports-related activities. After attending school and going to practice, Lancaster gets on his weight bench and uses dumbbells to further work his body out.

“Everything I do is about sports,” Lancaster said. “After going to school and practicing, I’ll go home and workout.”

When Lancaster isn’t working out, studying or doing anything sports related, he’s usually out hunting with his father Jamie Lancaster. Still, he admitted hunting game also qualifies for sports-related activites.

Of course, Lancaster’s diligence on the baseball field and in the classroom makes him a perfect choice for Hoffpauir to build his program around.

“He’s a leader on and off the field,” Hoffpauir said. “He has all the tools you want in all sports.”