Amendt signs letter of intent to play with Wildcats

For most high school seniors, the choice of where to go to college is a frustrating, time-consuming process. For an athlete, it can get even crazier due to numerous recruitment letters, campus visits and options. For Fairfield?s Mikaela Amendt, the decision is made, the weight lifted and the senior can now look forward to what?s left of her senior year, as she signed a letter of intent to attend Culver-Stockton College.

?I?m happy to be done with the process,? said Amendt. ?I?ve made my decision and now I can just relax. It?s a smaller school, really nice, loved the campus on my visit and it was close to home, something I was really looking forward to.?

Located in Canton, Missouri, Culver-Stockton is only about 90 minutes away by car, and having Mikaela nearby will be a relief for her family, including her father Shane Amendt.

?We?ve been all over the place,? said Shane. ?We went to schools in Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri. With her going to Culver-Stockton, she?ll play up here around us against schools like William Penn and Pella, and it seemed like a good fit for her.

?It?s been a long road, she?s been playing softball since her T-ball days and she?s fulfilling her dream to play in college and she gets four more years, so I?m feeling pretty good.?

Mikaela has been pitching for the Iowa Blitz in Altoona for the past three seasons, and will likely return for her fourth. Her head coach Adam DeCamp raved about Mikaela?s skillset and the type of pitcher that Culver-Stockton is getting.

?She?s a great kid, self-motivated and driven by what she wants to do and not what anyone else wants her to do,? said DeCamp. ?She taught herself how to pitch. She didn?t have any fancy pitching coach and she taught herself how to do this because that?s what she wanted to do and it?s really shown. She?s a smart pitcher, understands what she does well and doesn?t adjust to the hitter. She controls the game from the circle by hitting her spots and changing speeds, which is what every coach wants.

?Outside of that passion for pitching, she?s a great teammate and I would take 12 of her on my team any day.?

Joe Carter, the program director for the Iowa Blitz, echoed DeCamp?s praise.

?Mikaela is the type of player we make this program for,? said Carter. ?She came in as a very raw ballplayer and her hard work and dedication has brought her to this point. She traveled two hours one-way for practices, so four hours a couple times a week.

?We started this program for players that don?t get that opportunity to be seen and don?t get that chance to prove themselves; it?s extraordinary to see any player put the time and sweat in and come through, and I?m excited to see how she does the next four years.?

Mikaela?s experience in travel ball may give her a slight edge to other collegiate freshmen, due to the fact that her quality of competition may be a bit higher.

?I don?t think I?ll struggle with that adjustment as much,? she said. ?I?ve been playing against 18-year olds since I was 15. I played against everyone, Division I hitters, Division I pitchers and players who have been playing at a college level.

?It?s not easy and really stressful at times, but it?s such a tiny, focused game and I?m really excited for that first game.?

The Wildcats went 14-24 last season with pitchers averaging just under 10 hits allowed per game. Culver-Stockton wasn?t able to win a single game last season unless the team scored over four runs, so a strong pitcher like Amendt could step in and contribute as a freshman.

But, for now, the Fairfield senior will focus more on her school schedule and finishing her final year at FHS. When the spring of 2017 rolls around, she knows she has a team and she?ll get her chance to continue her softball career.