For freshman Cam Temme, being among the youngest players on the varsity softball team isn’t a new concept, since she has been competing with older kids since she was 8 years old.
That year, her sister, Reese Temme, was 10, and Cam joined Reese’s team, getting her first taste of competing against older players.
“When I was younger, I was often insecure because I was playing with people who were two years older than me. But it got better when I got older,” Temme said.
Today, Temme is a pitcher and right fielder for the Highlanders. The team is 6-1 overall and 2-0 in section so far. In that time, Temme has pitched 33 innings, including a no-hitter and a one-hitter, and has 34 strikeouts and a 2.5 earned run average. She is batting .346 with three home runs and 11 RBIs.
She made an immediate impression this season, hitting those three home runs in the team’s first game, which the Highlanders won, 8-1, over Canon-Mac.
“I was impressed with myself because I was a little bit nervous at the start of the game, since it was our first actual game,” Temme said.
Reese Temme was not surprised with her sister’s performance in that first game.
“We were expecting her to come in as a big player for us, and she stepped up,” Reese said. “She did exactly what I thought she was going to do, and she’s been a power hitter for a very long time.”
Junior outfielder Mackenzie Bowen, who also started when she was a freshman, recognized Temme’s skill in the first game of the season.
“We all knew that she was going to be great and have a great performance,” Bowen said. “I definitely think she will be one of our key assets to winning in future games.”
Temme will not have a problem keeping up with the upperclassmen this year, Bowen said.
“She’s always willing to do anything, even though she’s a freshman. She fits in with the starters and upperclassmen,” Bowen said. “She has really embraced her role as not only the pitcher but also as our leadoff hitter.”
Temme is optimistic for the team’s chances this year.
“We started off very well this season,” she said. “I think that we could go far in playoffs this year, and I’m really excited to see what is to come.”
In addition to playing with the Highlanders, Temme also plays travel softball with the Pittsburgh Lady Roadrunners, developing her skills in the sport. She hit 14 home runs for them last year.
“It has helped shape me because it helped me to play with other girls. I was playing with girls from all over,” Temme said.
Temme also gets helpful advice from her sister, Reese, who plays center field.
“This is her first year playing outfield, so I’ve given her some tips and tricks about throwing because it’s a different game in the infield and the outfield,” Reese Temme said. “I would like to think of myself as a mentor, but she has done everything and works hard, and I love to just be there for her.”
Coach Ron Santillo knows talent when he sees it, because he has been coaching softball for 25 years and has organized and coached clinics for thousands of young players.
“Cam is a strong player for sure, and she has had an amazing start as a freshman. We look forward to a lot of growth from Cam and the rest of our very talented underclassmen,” Santillo said.
Her mother, history teacher Katie Temme, hopes Temme will continue to motivate herself to achieve her goals.
“My husband and I both have high expectations for Cam and Reese, but we don’t have to push them super hard,” Katie Temme said. “We set the expectations, and they go above and beyond that, so they push themselves.”
