PINETOWN — Rachel Lang likes pressure. It’s something that comes naturally to an athlete who’s been an impact player in three varsity sports throughout her high school career.

Lang’s Northside sports career came to a close on May 12. She and the Lady Panthers made the trek to Princeton to take on the defending 1-A state champion, but fell short in a 2-0 loss.

A lot of the pressure was on her. It was very much the same case a year ago when the Lady Panthers made it to the fourth round of the playoffs. Seniors like Mackensi Swain and Kendall Alligood shouldered a lot of the offensive load, but as the pitcher, Lang has always been responsible for much of the defensive performance.

“I kind of like the pressure. I’m good with it,” she said. “If the bases are loaded and I’m pitching, I don’t feel stressed. I just go with it. A lot of the times, I’ll end up with a full count, bases loaded. It’s fine. Sonny (Robbins) and coach (Gil) Robbins always say, ‘Oh, I don’t worry if she gets three balls. She’ll still strike them out.’”

Lang finished her senior campaign with a team-best .483 batting average. She started 13 of 19 games on the mound, compiling a 10-3 record and 1.94 earned-run average.

Softball had been a wild ride. Lang was a key player from the get go. She batted .469 as a freshman. She made 10 appearances as a pitcher, too. They were mostly in relief as she’d come in to give her older sister, Kelsey Lang, a rest.

Lang’s sophomore year was one of the best seasons in program history. The Lady Panthers went undefeated in the 1-A Coastal Plains Conference. They won some thrillers in the playoffs to make it to the state semifinals — a 1-0 victory over Princeton in the third round and a 3-2, 10-inning win against Whiteville in the fourth round — before getting swept by North Duplin in the eastern-regional championship series.

“My favorite year was my sophomore year. We had a really big turnout with the students that came out to watch that year,” Lang said. “The bullpen on the side was filled with people. I couldn’t even go in there to warm up. Some of them would sit up on top of the dugout.”

Lang played a role in the success of other teams during her four years at Northside. She started playing volleyball in the fifth grade and made her varsity debut as a freshman. She didn’t play much at the varsity level that season, but was a full-fledged player at the top level by the time she was a sophomore.

Volleyball came naturally to Lang. It helped that she has always been one of the taller players on the court. Even then, though, it’s never easy for a young athlete to take on that kind of challenge so early in high school.

“It’s very much a team effort. It’s always come a little bit easier to me. I don’t know why, but it has,” Lang said of her fall sport. “Most of my favorite memories are playing with my sister. If I had any questions, she was the one to go to. She knew everybody.”

Like softball, which she started around 4 years old, Lang got into basketball early. She said it was something that seemed like everyone was picking up. Her height gave her an advantage like it did in volleyball.

There’s something about basketball season in that Lang said it feels longer than volleyball or softball. Practices can go as late as 8 p.m. Being indoors for school all day can make that long day feel even longer, but she said all that did was make the team closer.

Lang averaged 12.3 points a game as a senior. Volleyball and softball each sent her off with a home playoff win in her final season with the Lady Panthers, but basketball wasn’t as kind. Northside didn’t make the postseason this year.

Regardless of how things went this past year, Lang has left a lasting impact on Beaufort County as a whole. One of her most proud accomplishments was playing in the youth all-star softball World Series.

“It was a cool experience because you get to meet new people. It’s not just about winning,” she said.

Her legacy at Northside will be that she taught her teammates about the work that goes into winning. In softball, Lang credited her mother for helping her stay on top of putting work in outside of practice. Her coaches in each sport have played a significant role, too.

“I’ve learned from coach (Michelle) Leathers that it’s not always going to be fair. You’re going to have to go with the flow,” Lang said. “It doesn’t matter what your feelings are. You have to do your job and be a leader.”

Lang will attend North Carolina State in the fall. Her sister is a current member of the Wolfpack, and their mother is an alumna. She plans to study accounting and would like to play club softball.