Nearly 20 years after her graduation from Gloucester High, Jillian LaFlam still is the career leader for pitching wins for the varsity girls’ softball program. She rang up a 52-11 mark, with a sparkling 1.50 earned run average from 1994-97.

But what she values now, at age 36, more than anything else, was being part of a team, and how it positively influenced her life.

“If you can learn to be part of a team at a young age, it’s going to play a huge role in your success as an adult,’’ said LaFlam, who went on to play the game collegiately at Seton Hall, graduating in 2001.

After working for a year as a sportswriter in New Jersey, she returned home to New England and entered a master’s program in journalism at Emerson College. She landed an internship in communications with the Red Sox. The timing could not have been better. She was on board for the World Series run in 2004.

“It was awesome and pretty magical.’’ LaFlam said.

She worked in the control room and had responsibility for, among other assignments, audio and visual material and in-game music on Fenway Park’s video board.

And there was more. “Word got out that I played college softball and that turned into a role as one of the ball girls,’’ LaFlam said.

After the internship, she became a producer/editor for the team.

“My day job was producing TV shows and my night job was as a ballgirl,’’ she said. “We’d switch every game and be on the first base or third base side. It was awesome being on the field with those guys. It was such a great experience. I said when I was seven that I was going to work for the Red Sox and I was basically living my dream. I was a kid in a candy store.’’

After getting married and having a son — Benjamin is 7 now — she did freelance work and was a stay-at-home mom for several years. She is now back working full time, as the communications manager at the Scleroderma Foundation in Danvers. LaFlam also coaches at Crossfit Cape Ann in Gloucester.

“That’s where I channel all my competitiveness these days,’’ said LaFlam, who was inducted into the athletic hall of fame at Gloucester High last fall.

“It’s been great. The workouts are different every day. You’re doing conditioning, Olympic weight stuff, high intensity and short duration workouts. You’re competing against others in the gym, but moreso, you’re competing against yourself to try and get better.’’

She’s excited to watch Benjamin, who plays in the Cape Ann Youth Hockey organization and in Gloucester Little League, as he gets involved in sports.

“It makes a big difference, no matter what career path you take, there’s always got to be that sense of team whether you’re in communications or finance or business,’’ she said.

“Being part of a team at a young age, I feel, has been instrumental in my development as a person. And it’s made me coachable. As an athlete you have to learn how to take constructive criticism and that’s huge in the workforce.’’

Allen Lessels can be reached at lessfam321@gmail.com.