Ooltewah softball pitcher Cameron Baltimore, seated center, signed a scholarship with Cleveland State Community College on Tuesday. She is flanked by assistant coaches Stacy Wong, left, and Heidi Moses. Back row, coach Jon Massey, athletic director Jesse Nayadley and principal Jim Jarvis.
College recruiting doesn’t have to be a long, drawn out ordeal.
Ooltewah softball pitcher Cameron Baltimore, who has helped the Lady Owls reach the District 5-AAA tournament championship game, attended the Cleveland State Community College camp a month or so ago.
And like what she saw in the Lady Cougars’ softball program.
“I had thought about bigger schools, but decided small is a good thing,” Baltimore said Tuesday afternoon.
Cleveland State coaches attended Ooltewah’s district game against Bradley Central and Baltimore was told a scholarship offer would be sent via e-mail.
The online offer arrived on Baltimore’s computer on Monday.
Baltimore, who has a 36-15 record in three seasons with the Lady Owls, signed the offer sheet Tuesday at a signing ceremony at Ooltewah’s Little Theater in front of fellow students, faculty members, coaches and administrators.
“After she (coach Katie Willingham) told me I would get an offer, I didn’t hear from her for a while,” Baltimore said. “As it turns out, she was out of town with the softball team. But I knew she would come through.”
Willingham did.
And so did Baltimore, in turn.
Now, the Lady Owls’ right-hander, the team’s No. 1 pitcher in 2014 prior to the arrival of freshman phenom Kayla Boseman this season, is headed up I-75 to continue her softball career.
“In my junior year, I thought about Hiwassee College (Madisonville, Tenn.) and I was at the Lee University camp and several colleges were there,” Baltimore said. “I’m happy about going to Cleveland State and hope, in the next two years that I’ll become 20-times better as a pitcher.”
Baltimore posted 11-5, 14-6 and 11-4 records from her freshman to senior years at Ooltewah.
When Boseman joined the Lady Owls this season, coach Jon Massey wound up with a pretty solid one-two punch.
That has proven beneficial as Ooltewah goes into Wednesday’s district tourney championship game against Walker Valley with the league’s best record at 34-8.
Ooltewah began the tournament as the No. 2 seed behind Soddy-Daisy. The Lady Owls eliminated the Lady Trojans, 5-2, in Tuesday’s first game and then knocked off the Lady Mustangs, 9-6, to set up the winner-take-all game on Wednesday.
“Cameron is all about consistency, always being around the plate and throwing strikes,” Massey said. “She does a great job hitting her spots and is a fast worker. When a pitcher is throwing a lot of strikes, the defense behind her is on their toes and makes a lot of plays. Cameron is not a strikeout pitcher.”
Baltimore said he has been timed between 55 and 57 mph and hopes to increase her velocity closer to 60 by the time she leaves Cleveland State.
“She has the potential to win a lot of games for Cleveland State,” Massey said, “as long as she’s got a good defense that can make plays. She’s always ready to go and I think they’re getting a good pitcher.”
(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)