By Chris Cox

Dale senior center fielder Chayse Caram has grown up on the diamond. Her dad and grandad were both college baseball players and got her involved in baseball from an early age. It wasn’t until she was eight that she switched from baseball to softball, a move that was happy she made.

“As soon as I started playing, I fell in love with it,” she says. “I love the game. I grew up around it and love it.”

Caram credits her family for helping get to where she is today.

“My dad has always been my biggest supporter and fan and pushed me to be my best,” Caram said. “Another big role model is my grandmother. She’s always been a kind and caring person and encouraged me to live my life through Christ and to do whatever I do for Him. My mom is such a hard worker and has been a big role model in showing me what hard work looks like.”

While the family legacy might trace its roots to the diamond, Caram says it’s her teammates that motivate her on a daily basis.

“I always play for my teammates,” she says. “They are so great. We always want to win and are always ready to compete. I think that’s my biggest motivator, just playing for them.”

Another thing that motivates Caram and her Lady Pirate teammates is the tradition of Dale softball.

“It’s definitely hard sometimes because tradition can be a scary thing,” she admits. “But it also helps us get ready to play. We are always playing for something bigger than ourselves and that’s important for us.”

Off the field, Caram is the Dale Student Council president and helps run FCA. Caram says FCA is something that is incredibly beneficial because it allows her, and the other athletes involved, to talk to each other about the power of God.

Following graduation, Chayse is committed to play softball at William Jewell College in Missouri where she plans on study psychological sciences and eventually earn her masters in forensics.