Williamstown’s Beck signs with Potomac State
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WILLIAMSTOWN -- Williamstown softball player Kameron Beck is no longer a free agent in terms of her solidifying her career at the next level.
Monday morning inside the lobby of the high school, Beck confirmed her decision to attend WVU Potomac State College and join the Catamounts' softball program once her days as a Yellowjacket are complete.
"There were other schools, but they didn't make feel like it was home like Potomac State did," said Beck, who was a Class A second-team, all-stater as a junior. "The campus is small, and the school is smaller. I like that because I come from a smaller community. Also, their coaches always knew I had potential.
"The coaches definitely care about their players and they don't take you for granted."
Both Potomac State head coach Craig Rotruck and his assistant coach Rich Thompson made the three-plus hour trek from Keyser to join in on the signing ceremony attended by teammates, friends and a large gathering of family members.
Beck began showing an interest in Potomac State during the middle of her junior year. The combination of receiving a roster spot as a freshman and attend a school which carried her major of aerospace engineering sealed the deal.
As a utility infielder and ability to play multiple positions, Beck offered just what the Catamount program looked for in their recruiting process.
"We've been looking for middle infielders -- we reached out her and heard a lot of good things from her travel coach," Rotruck said. "She is very interested in our academics. We decided to bring her in, work out and visit with us. Things went really well from there.
"We brought her back one more time to work out in our prospect game that we have with all our high school juniors and seniors. She did very well there. We sat down with her and told her if she would be willing to come here and be a part of our program that we could guarantee her a spot in the fall."
Despite COVID wiping her freshman season, Beck owns a .399 career batting average as a Yellowjacket. She spent her entire sophomore season without striking out once.
"I remember I didn't have to go back to the dugout," Beck smiled.
Always known to her coaches as a contact hitter, Beck batted .418 as a junior with 23 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. She finished with five doubles and three triples. Yellowjacket coach Ron Stanley figures Beck will show even better power numbers in the spring.
"Kameron works at her game all year, goes to camps, gets individual instruction and plays on a travel team second to none -- she is probably the hardest working girl we have had in our program, " Stanley said. "She has developed so much in that last three years. As her high school coach, I am really looking forward to her senior year.
"We are looking for her to more of a power hitter. She has the ability to drive the ball to the fence."
Potomac State is a two-year academic institution and a member of the National Junior College Athletics Association. The Catamounts compete at the Division II level. Last season, they finished 41-4. Their 35th straight win resulted in the program's second straight Region 20 title.
With softball in her blood since the age of 5, Beck couldn't narrow down the multitude of people who have contributed to her success.
"There are a lot of people -- I can't pick one because they all done so much for me," said Beck, who is the daughter of Autumn Beck and Darren Lott. "I definitely have a lot of growing to do so I hope Potomac State can help me do that. I think this will be a good change for me as a person and help me grow."
Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com