From her powerful bat to her leadership behind the plate, Kameron Aitken’s talent is evident the moment she steps on the Wiregrass Ranch softball field.
So evident, in fact, that several major in-state universities—South Florida, Central Florida, Florida Gulf Coast and North Florida — showed interest in the junior catcher last season.
Aitken opted to verbally commit to Florida International University (FIU) in Miami on Dec. 1, 2015 — after visiting the campus on an unofficial visit and quickly realizing the school “just felt like home.”
(Photos courtesy of Wiregrass Ranch Softball)
“I felt like I could go to the team and be welcomed right away,” Aitken said about choosing FIU, a Division I school. “I had been looking at it for two years. The coaches made me feel like that’s where I wanted to be.”
A varsity softball player at Wiregrass Ranch since her freshman year, Aitken broke out as a sophomore, batting .379 with 17 doubles and 39 RBIs.
“I’m a lot stronger player now than I was my freshman year,” Aitken said about her development. “I’ve learned to recognize pitches better.”
Through 10 games this year, the slugger is picking up right where she left off, batting .379 with a team-leading two home runs and 13 RBIs.
“She’s a big, strong girl. A very intelligent player,” said Tyler Finn, assistant coach for Wiregrass Ranch. “Thank God we’re going to get her for another year.”
Teammates describe Aitken, who bats cleanup, as a player that provides vocal leadership and contributes in critical moments of games.
“Her offense is a big key. She really comes through in big situations,” said senior third baseman Tylah Remaley.
“She is a clutch hitter, and gets those hits that you need that help you out in the end of games,” said junior second baseman Alexis Ridolph.
“She pushes others. If you’re struggling, she’ll say, ‘Hey, keep your head up, and just keep going,’” junior Samantha Hiley said.
In addition to her hitting ability, Aitken provides a calming influence as a catcher, where she works closely with a young pitching staff that includes three freshmen.
“She has great leadership and is always communicating with her teammates,” said Wiregrass Ranach head coach Yamani Vazquez. “She’s a catcher, so she’s the brains of the operation. She’s what you would expect from a catcher, basically.”
Coach Finn echoes Vazquez’s sentiment, calling Aitken a “tremendous, tremendous catcher.”
“She’s been a catcher her whole life. She’s a leader behind the plate. She’s got a rocket arm that’s accurate,” the Wiregrass assistant explained. “She’s going to play Division I (softball) for a reason.”
While Aitken is a natural playing softball, she is always trying to improve — even during the course of a ballgame.
According to Vazquez, in a recent game, Aitken struggled in her first at-bat, and had her mother record the plate appearance so she could analyze her swing mechanics for her next time up to hit.
As it turned out, Aitken figured out the problem. She had “dropped her shoulder” during her swing path.
“I’ve never seen that — just trying to better yourself in the same game,” her head coach said.
Aitken’s willingness to correct mistakes on her own—and handle it with a positive attitude—is what makes her special, Vazquez added.
“She has that drive. She has that intrinsic drive that you can’t really teach,” he explained. “It comes from just knowing what you want and knowing your goals. And that’s what she has going on. She has that intrinsic drive to get better more than anyone else on this team, I would say.”
Published March 9, 2016
