RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
On Monday (July 13, 2020), we kick off our next round of the extensive Extra Elite 100 series as we launch the 2023 Extra Elite 100 rankings that will go 500 players deep!
One of the best parts of researching players in each class is we learn about rising talent and also their backstories, which continues to show us time and time again how unique and dedicated these players are!
Take today’s spotlight athlete, for example: Kamryn “Kami” Kamzik, a right-handed pitcher from Pennsylvania, plays for Mark Bordeau’s Florida Firecrackers team and how she ended up playing for the Sunshine State team is interesting.
One day, Coach Bordeau was looking up pitching information online when Kami’s recruiting video popped up. He and his fellow coaches quickly saw her impressive abilities and found her mom on Facebook and messaged her.
“Through the power of social media,” Kami recalls, “Mark saw a video of me on YouTube. We built a relationship over the phone for a few months. I went to a tournament to meet the team and play for a weekend. I really liked the team as well as the coaching from Courtney (Blades Rogers) and Mark.
Legendary pitching great Courtney Blades Rogers, the 2000 National Player of the Year and a 1st Team All-American at Southern Mississippi, handles player development and recruiting for the team and also spoke with the family. Eventually, Kami joined the team at D9 in Florida to guest for the Firecrackers and made quite the impression.
“Although Kami is from Pennsylvania, she has made her way down south and is making a big splash,” says Courtney. “Kami is a hard worker and great team player with tons of upswing. She’s very mature for her age and has the likes of top Power 5 clubs showing interest as she throws 62 mph with a nasty curve.”
Kami doesn’t practice with the team—she explains; “I practice on my own, getting private hitting and pitching lessons. I also practice locally with a team from PA. As far as games and tournaments go, my family and I just meet the teams at the tournaments.”
Courtney adds: “Kami totally dominated up north, even at the 18u level, and is a small-town girl looking for big things in the softball world.”
“In our town, there is not much to do,” the incoming sophomore admits. “It is all in what you make of it. My family and I spend a lot of times outdoors. It is very rural and we like to hike and go biking. We have a good mix: we live in a small town, but get to see a lot of bigger cities with both my brother and I playing travel sports.”
Kami comes from a family of athletes—she also plays volleyball while her dad and brother play ice hockey—and is a strong candidate (hint, hint) for next week’s 2023 player rankings.
Here’s more on this dedicated athlete, who you’ll be hearing a lot about in the next few years…
*** Scroll down to read more about Kami including our Q&A with her!