The Times Athlete of the Week: Seneca’s Camryn Stecken

Out of 309 total votes cast online for The Times Athlete of the Week, 139 went to Seneca softball slugger Camryn Stecken. One of the core hitters for the undefeated Fighting Irish, Stecken provided a big game in a slugfest with 12-win Wilmington, notching three hits and four runs batted in.

Stecken won out on a ballot that also included runner-up Addison Ness (Newark girls track and field), Brendyn Fuchs (Ottawa baseball) and Connor Dodge (WFC baseball).

Weekly ballots go online Mondays and are accessible via Facebook (The Times Sports) and Twitter (@jtpedelty), with voting going through midday Wednesday.

Here is a Q&A with this week’s winner:

Do you have any nicknames?

Stecken: A lot of my teammates, coaches and family call me Camo. A good amount of my friends also call me Cammy.

The team is off to an amazing start against a challenging schedule. What’s been the key to the Fighting Irish’s success so far?

Stecken: I think the key to our success thus far is how this year we talk about “playing with purpose.” We talk about how everyone has a purpose and how you have to go to practice with a purpose and perform in the games with a purpose. Our team has done really well with that so far this season in knowing our purpose.

As a heart-of-the-lineup run-producer, what has been working for you?

Stecken: I have been working on my hitting a lot in practice and outside of practice. I have been working with Mr. [Brian] Holman, my hitting coach Tom Morris and my dad a lot. But my biggest thing is telling myself that I know how to hit and I just need to “See Ball, Hit Ball,” which is written on my batting gloves.

How old were you when you started playing softball, and in what league/for what team did you first start playing?

Stecken: I grew up with softball my whole life with my dad coaching high school and travel. I began playing rec ball for a few years around the age of 5 and started travel ball when I was 7 years old. I played travel for the Illinois Irish for nine years, until we had many girls graduating this spring.

What’s your favorite subject in school?

Stecken: My favorite subject in school would be our CNA program that our school offers. I have really loved the class this past year, and it showed me that I would definitely want to be a nurse in my future.

If you could see any musical artist in concert anywhere in the world tomorrow night, all expenses paid, who would you choose and where would you see them?

Stecken: If I could see anyone in concert, I would want to go see Megan Moroney down in Cancun, Mexico.

The team’s going out to a local restaurant to celebrate a big win, and you get to choose the place. Where are you going, and what are you ordering?

Stecken: I would pick La Casa Michocana in Morris, and I would order shrimp and rice with tortillas on the side.

Is there something about you that people who only know you through sports might find surprising?

Stecken: I can recite all the lyrics to “The Fall of Jake Paul” and know the song by heart.

Do you have any plans for after high school? Do they involve sports?

Stecken: My plans after high school are to attend a big college down in the South to major in nursing. My plans do not include playing sports in college.