Like most athletes, Katey Blummer had no idea that she’d end up playing at the collegiate level when she began playing sports at a young age. She tried a number of different sports before she finally found her knack for softball.
Growing up in a family of athletes, Blummer was exposed to sports at a very young age. She had experience in horseback riding, soccer and gymnastics all before the age of seven. However, Blummer didn’t discover her athletic talent until she enrolled in a little league softball program.
After a brief stint in little league softball, Blummer went on to play recreational and travel leagues and also played all four years at Gulf Coast High School. She is currently competing in her third season with NSU.
Blummer, junior marine biology major and business administration minor, hopes to pursue a career in marine research after graduation. She also aspires to use her business administration minor to open up her own dive shop.
Here’s how softball has impacted Blummer’s life.
How did you end up at NSU?
“That’s actually a really funny story. I was looking at two other schools at the time. I was in my senior year, and I was late, as far as getting recruited goes, and the old assistant coach, Coach Robin Martin, sent me an email saying ‘Hi Brittany, we watched you play this weekend, and we really loved you; we would love you to come check out the school.’ So I was really excited because I loved the marine biology program here, but, at the same time, I thought, ‘What if she sent this to the wrong person?’ But my dad said that I had to call her, and I had to talk to her to find out anyway, so I emailed her back, and it turned it that she completely meant to send it to me, and she apologized for [using the wrong name]. After that, I came on an official visit and instantly fell in love with the school. I was debating between this school and one other school, but I liked this one because I’m actually pretty close to home ― I’m only like an hour and fifteen minutes away, and I love my family ― so that was a bonus.”
What do you think is the hardest aspect of playing softball?
“Time management, as far as being a student athlete. Especially with my major. I was just talking with one of the freshmen on the team who is a marine bio major, and we talked about how the academic advisors very much dislike our sport and our major and trying to schedule when classes are going to be. Sometimes, practice is from 1 to 6 p.m. if you have to go early or stay late, so you can’t schedule any classes in the afternoon. So we have all early morning classes, practice and then night class.”
What do you think is the most rewarding part of playing softball?
“You get a family away from home, I guess. So that’s really nice. A lot of the times coming in as a freshman, you don’t know a lot of people, but I came in and instantly had 18 sisters, whether they liked me or not. We knew we were going to spend a lot of time together so we all better get pretty close. So that was really nice. But in the sport itself, I love the rush. I ripped two doubles in the very first game we played, and I was just so excited. You get this adrenaline rush as you’re sliding into second, and you just scored two of your teammates home, so they’re screaming, and you’re screaming, and that’s what I live for.”
Do you have any goals set for yourself or for the team moving forward in the season?
“Yes. We actually sat down as a team and set aside a lot of goals before we played last weekend, and I think we’re going to make it a common occurrence just to hold ourselves accountable. But our defense was somewhat lacking because we had a couple of people out of position recently, and we’ve been working 110 percent in practice to be better so that it won’t happen again, and we won’t make the same mistakes. Offensively, we’ve felt strong, and we want to keep that going, but, defensively, we would like to improve as a team.”
Are there any professional athletes who you look up to or model your style of play after?
“When I was younger, everyone loved Jennie Finch. She was just a face for the sport, and she’s an amazing person, a great athlete, she has kids, and she’s really just the whole package. I guess I just always wanted to be that. I mean I can’t pitch, and I’m not 6’1, but she’s still awesome.”
What has been your proudest achievement as a softball player so far?
“To make it to the collegiate level. I’m only 5’2, and being short in the sport definitely sets you back a little bit, and I don’t have speed either. Usually, you can be small but quick, but instead, I’m small but strong. So for me to get recruited to a D-II school that I absolutely loved, with a great softball program, was just one of the happiest days for me.”
Have you had any coaches or mentors who have influenced you while playing softball?
“My dad, believe it or not. He took on the role of coach for a travel ball team that I played on for about two years. People always think that, if you’re the coach’s kid, it’s easier for you, but that was never the case. It was always ten times harder because, whether you’re on the field or at home, he’s the coach. So if you’re not going out and getting extra reps, he would be on you about it, or, at practice, I would get into twice as much trouble. But he made me the athlete I am ― he definitely motivated me. There were so many days where I didn’t want to go to practice, but he would make me go, and I would get there and I would love it.”
Does the team have any special rituals they perform to get ready for a game?
“Softball players are notorious for being superstitious, but we don’t really have a team superstition yet. Last year, we had an inflatable shark that we had to bring to every game, and it was one specific player’s job to bring it. If she forgot it, we would always act like it was the end of the world, but, this year, we don’t have anything yet. Me, personally, I get my hair braided by the same player, Haley Gonzales, every game.”
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
“I love the ocean and the water, so diving, being out on the boat, tanning, it doesn’t matter. It just has to be somewhere near the water.”
