By Derek Blalock
Oakland Athletic Communications

If you stumble upon the Griffith family on UNO game night, don't worry. The intensity is normal. The verbal roasts are typical. Cheating cannot be confirmed or denied. It all boils down to bragging rights.

If you ask Blake, a rising junior on the Oakland University baseball team, he will say the only way his sister Lauren, a rising sophomore on the Golden Grizzlies softball team, can beat him is by trying to create a new rule that does not exist.

Lauren says it is their mother, Jill, who believes she knows all the rules and can be quite convincing. For younger brother, Ben, getting up for a convenient trip to the kitchen to sneak a peek at the others' cards is his way to find an edge.

"Everyone is trying to one-up each other," family patriarch Bob Griffith recollects fondly. "There is always a new rule that we don't know about that comes into existence. We're pretty good at roasting each other as well. They're both competitive and want to win."

It is that type of competitive fire that the two elder Griffith children have brought to the Oakland baseball and softball programs, and one that defines both student-athletes, Bob Griffith said. Whether it was whiffle ball, video games or UNO, Blake and Lauren are always fighting for the top spot.

This season marked the end of the first year with Blake and Lauren both on campus. It was never really in the plan for the two of them to attend the same university, just very serendipitous. Blake joined the baseball program three seasons ago after Oakland offered him the opportunity to play Division I baseball. During his fall season as a redshirt freshman, it just so happened that the softball team was holding a fall camp, so Blake talked Lauren up to some players and coaches, and suddenly she is at camp impressing the Oakland staff. Before they know it, Lauren landed a scholarship offer and was on her way to becoming a Golden Grizzly.

"(Blake's) pretty popular around here (and) he put in a word with the softball team," Lauren said. "(The Oakland coaches) were watching me the whole time, and they spoke to me after the camp and asked me to come back for a visit. When I came back they offered me. I liked Oakland and didn't really want to go anywhere else.

"I'm from out of state, four hours away, so I don't have the opportunity to go home like everybody else does that is in-state, so it was helpful to have a support system already waiting for me."

With both Blake and Lauren at Oakland, it helped the siblings from Grove City, Ohio by having family in the area, as well as making it more convenient for their parents to visit more often. It also has allowed that brother-sister bond to strengthen immensely, especially with the stressors of school and traveling nearly every weekend in the winter and spring.

"We definitely keep each other motivated," Blake Griffith said. "That's another one of the best things about having us both go to the same school. We keep each other in line and know what's best for each other."

Not only has Oakland brought Lauren and Blake closer together, on a larger note, they both have found a "hidden gem" in the school to succeed academically and on the field. Lauren says the coaches and school are extremely cognizant of the student-athlete experience, maybe more than larger programs.

"(Bio-engineering) is definitely hard with athletics. At some other schools, you would not be able to do that major because they're so much focused on the athletic portion of the student-athlete experience," Lauren said. "(Oakland head coach Lauren Karn) is wonderful with that. She's so focused on the mental health of my teammates and I think this is the best fit for me. We're super tight as a team because she's wonderful with that."

The siblings' love for the sports they play comes partially from their father, a pitcher for Indiana University during the late 1980s. From introducing them to the movie "The Sandlot", to taking them to the local fields to throw batting practice and letting them shag balls, Bob Griffith never wanted to force anything upon his children. However, because of those and countless whiffle ball games in the backyard, Bob quickly saw that his children were extremely self-driven and wanting to succeed in baseball and softball, a necessity to not only make it to the college ranks but be successful at the Division I level.

Blake, who just finished his redshirt sophomore year and majors in finance, came into his own in his first full season of play with 46 appearances and 42 starts. He tied for the team-lead in home runs (six), was second in RBI (31) and third in batting average (.284).

Lauren, a bio-engineering major, also had a strong year starting in 30 games as a true freshman hitting .277 with three home runs and 21 RBI. Her first home run came as a pinch-hitter against Youngstown State in the middle innings to give Oakland a one-run lead.

"There's something about that brother-sister bond that even though they don't spend a lot of time together, they are each there for one another when needed," Bob Griffith said.

"They're both very, very competitive and self-driven. If you're going to make it to the next level, you have to be committed by yourself not because parents want you to do it. They've always been that way."

Not only have they shared the same path from high school to Oakland, they also are each other's biggest fans and coincidentally, each recorded their first collegiate hit against the same opponent.

"The best moment was when my sister got her first collegiate hit against University of North Carolina Greensboro and it was a double off the wall," Blake said. "My first collegiate hit was at the same exact place but it was a home run. It was cool that our first collegiate hits came against the same team."

With two more seasons together, there are still many more moments like that to share between the two siblings. For now, you can find them in the local batting cages continuing to push each other to be better because as much as they want to win themselves, they want the other to win just as much.

That's a true brother-sister bond.


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