As practice ends at Hunt Softball Park for the Elon University softball team, sophomore Emily Cameron sports a beaming smile, one contagious to her teammates.
She laughs, telling jokes to anyone who will listen. As someone walks by and says something, Cameron replies with a witty comment and, of course, a smile and a laugh.
Even Phoenix head coach Kathy Bocock has some fun with her star utility player. As Cameron struggles to lock up the equipment room, Bocock jokingly says, “You’ll know when the lights are off.”
Amid all the laughter, it’s a miracle Cameron is even putting on an Elon uniform each day.
The cordial, forthcoming sophomore almost had her softball career taken away when her and two teammates suffered injuries in a car accident last April in Greensboro. Junior Aly Quintana and senior Johanna Spencer were released after treatment, but Cameron remained in the hospital for a few days, with some of the time spent in the intensive care unit.
“I was told I might not be able to play again,” Cameron said. “It killed me. My goal was to get back on the field and get back to 100 percent like I was because [softball] is what I love to do.”
And she’s done just that. Cameron played her first game since the accident Feb. 8 at the Charleston Southern University Tournament, going 1 for 4 with a run scored in an 8-3 Elon win against the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. That was just the beginning, as Cameron hit .545 with four home runs and 10 runs batted in over four games at the tournament — leading the way to three Phoenix wins and one tie.
The stellar return was good enough to earn her Southern Conference Player of the Week honors.
“She’s probably one of our best athletes,” Bocock said. “We’ve got some really good softball players, but she’s probably one of our best athletes. There is a difference. When you can swing a bat like that, if somebody’s not swinging well, we know we can fill her in anywhere.”
Cameron excelled in the 39 games she played a year ago, hitting .269 and tallying six multi-hit games prior to the accident. The talent and success shown by Cameron so far this year isn’t new to Bocock.
“We knew the talent she had last year as a freshman,” Bocock said. “The biggest thing is that I just see her continually growing. She grows every day. I only see her getting better.”
Cameron spent the summer and early fall going through physical therapy and rehabilitation 2-3 times per week and going to appointments with a slew of different doctors. She worked through grueling sessions to build back her strength, only to suffer an injury during fall practice that set her back even more.
Cameron overcame that as well, getting back to full strength to open the season on her feet. It was tough not being around the game for so long, but the whole situation helped put things in perspective for the Kennesaw, Ga., native.
“When you’re being told you’re never going to play the sport you love again,” Cameron said, “it really puts your focus on something else and what you’re playing for.”
In regards to her play, Cameron is quick to deflect talk of hitting home runs. She said she looks more at her on-base percentage than her batting average, and focuses on base hits rather than home runs.
“I could definitely stay a little more disciplined at the plate,” Cameron said.
Elon senior outfielder Carleigh Nester applauded Cameron’s work ethic and determination on the road back to healthiness, saying that she’s worked with coaches constantly in the preseason to improve her hitting. Nester was also quick to note that Cameron was able to bolster Elon’s chemistry from the second she came in as a freshman one year ago.
“It shows that she’s going to take whatever challenge is thrown at her and just overcome it,” Nester said. “Last year, she had a couple challenges and it just shows she has heart. She’s just going to come out and play no matter what the circumstances are.”
What is Cameron like outside of softball? “Cool” was the first word that came to Nester’s mind.
“She’s really social,” Nester said. “I think everybody loves her. I don’t think anybody has ever said anything bad about [Cameron]. She’s a really good person all around and a great friend.”
As the rest of the team filed out of the brand-new softball offices and locker room, Cameron quietly went to gather her belongings. If she continues to work and battle as she has over the past year, the next three years on the field will be nothing but quiet for Cameron.
She garnered preseason All-SoCon honors, but the sky is the limit for Cameron and what she can accomplish in her time at Elon.
“If she stays healthy and things go well for her,” Bocock said, “she could be one of the top players to ever play here.”