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Softball: Bloomingdale's Camacho gaining elite status

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By NICK WILLIAMS

nwilliams@tampatrib.com

Published: April 16, 2009

Bloomingdale High senior Kaylyn Camacho has established herself as one of the elite softball pitchers in Hillsborough County this season.

A four-year varsity player, this is Camacho's first season as a starting pitcher at Bloomingdale. She is 11-4 with an 0.84 ERA and 133 strikeouts entering Wednesday night. She is verbally committed to Hillsborough Community College

"She's done a good job this year," Bloomingdale coach Mike Clamon said. "She has a nice curve that really moves batters off the box. She has a nice rise ball. She's a battler. She stays right in there."

Playing against some of the top softball players in the world has enhanced her ability on the mound. Although born in the U.S., Camacho has played for the Puerto Rican national softball team since her freshman year. Her family is from San Juan.

Camacho made the junior national team her freshman year out of nearly 160 players at a team tryout in Orlando.

Newsome sophomore Nicolette Levine, who is verbally committed to Florida, and Wharton freshman catcher Monica Santos are also members of the Puerto Rican junior national team.

Since making the team, Camacho has become a silver medalist and has played in various softball tournaments around the globe, including the Pan American Softball Championships. She has played in Holland and Mexico and has played teams from the U.S., Canada, Japan, South America, Africa and Russia.

International competition has paid off for other players around Hillsborough County. Durant senior and future Florida Gator Kelsey Horton obtained global exposure after playing in the Canada Cup last summer.

Sickles, which is enjoying its best season in nearly five years, had five players compete at the international level last summer. Chelsea Oglevie, Erica Bowman, Mya Anderson, Brittany Johnson and Alyssa Hobday all played for the Citrus Park travel team that competed against Poland and Puerto Rico in the Little League Big League Softball World Series.

Keyword: Preps on TBO.com for coverage of Wednesday's Plant-Bloomingdale game. Reporter Nick Williams can be reached at (813) 259-7851.

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