CRETE, Neb. – Cam Moore couldn’t hide an ear-to-ear grin on Monday (Nov. 20) when she made her college choice official. With her family and high school coach and teammates and future college coach gathered inside the lobby of Crete High School, Moore signed on the dotted line. She’ll soon trade her Cardinal red for Bulldog blue and join head coach Todd LaVelle’s softball program.
Considering the large support group in attendance on Monday, it’s no wonder Moore switched her college pledge in an effort to be closer to home. Proud mom and dad and sister were on hand and high school teammates cheered loudly as Moore finished scribbling her signature on her official letter. Current Bulldog freshman Mackinsey Schmidt made goofy faces alongside Moore as they posed for pictures. The family also handed out cookies beautifully crafted in the form of the Concordia “block C.”
It's a day Moore and her family will likely never forget.
Explained Moore, “I just wanted to be closer to home, closer to all my friends and family that have shown me so much support over the past year. That home feeling was something I needed more than being so far away.”
According to both LaVelle and Crete softball coach Shawn Carr, Concordia is getting a fine softball player, student and person. Moore’s credentials are inarguably impressive. The Lincoln Journal Star named her to its Super-State Softball First Team while the Omaha World-Herald tabbed her a First Team All-Nebraska selection. She led Crete to the Class B state championship, went 28-8 with a 1.00 ERA in the circle and hit .487 and recorded eight home runs and 39 RBIs at the plate as a senior.
In other words, LaVelle sees Moore as the type of player that can make an immediate impact.
“Cam is the all-around package,” LaVelle said. “We’re very lucky to have her at Concordia. Her accomplishments on the field speak for themselves – all the strikeouts and the .400 batting average. She had some outstanding statistics and then you throw in a state championship. The main reason that I’m enthused about having her is what she’s like off the field and what she stands for. She’s a 4.0 student and she excels with a lot of different groups. She’s one of those kids that makes your day a little bit brighter. She elevates her entire team.”
Moore’s high school coach will back up all of those sentiments. Carr saw first-hand how Moore rose to the status of one of the top high school players in the state.
“You’re going to see the best Class B softball player that I’ve seen the past couple years on and off the field,” Carr said. “Camry Moore came into our program and resurrected it, basically putting it on her shoulders. The word that I use is composure. I’ve never coached a kid that’s been as composed as Cam, whether it’s on the mound or at the plate. What you saw here – kids come into the room and they’re all cheering and screaming for her. People just gravitate to her.”
Moore recently re-opened her college recruitment after initially giving a commitment to a NCAA Division II school. It wasn’t something she wanted to make a big deal about. She wasn’t out seeking to have colleges fawning over her. She knew she had what she wanted close to home.
She’s looking forward to catching back up with Schmidt, a close friend for many years and she relishes the chance to play for LaVelle, who she says is “so personal and easy to have conversations with.” Moore, Schmidt and infielder Jamie Lefebure will make for three Crete High alums on the Bulldog softball team next season.
“It’s comforting, especially with Mack,” Moore said. “I’ve played with her since I was like eight years old. Just to be reunited with her is going to be great.”
The hope is for Moore to bring Concordia softball closer to winning another championship of its own. Moore knows a little something about winning. As Moore signed her letter of intent, a glitzy state championship trophy sat to her right. Said Moore of winning the whole thing, “It was unreal. I’ve never experienced anything like that. I got to experience it with my best friends. Going all the way – we did not think we were going to go all that far. It was pretty awesome.”
Moore is already a hero in her hometown. Said Carr, “All the little kids in Crete say they want to be Camry, my daughter included. My daughter Kinsley ends all her prayers by throwing Camry in there somehow just because Cam’s meant that much to her.” Added LaVelle, “We got the total package in Cam Moore.”
In Moore’s eyes, the total package is not far from her backyard. Concordia will become her new home.