It appears that Ankeny Centennial High School has become a fertile recruiting ground for the nearby Drake University softball program.
Centennial junior infielder Cami Starr announced her verbal commitment to Drake on Monday. Two of her Jaguar teammates, seniors Mady Ott and Kori Lincicum, previously committed to the Bulldogs.
“I’m super excited to be teammates with Mady and Kori again!” said Starr. “Drake is pulling in a lot of awesome talent from around Iowa, and many of the current players and commits are girls that I’ve played with or against since we were little. It will be fun to be Bulldogs together!”
Starr said the Drake players and coaches made her decision an easy one.
“I had been talking to several schools and had been on campus at a couple, but Drake was my first official visit,” she said. “I knew from the moment I left campus that Drake was where I wanted to go. My parents made me wait a few days just to make sure I had thought it through and that my feelings didn’t change, but honestly, the more days that went by, the more sure I was that Drake was a great fit for me.”
Starr helped the Jaguars to a 34-10 record and a third-place finish in the Class 5A state tournament as a sophomore, when she started all 44 games and batted .368 with five doubles and 18 RBIs. She was named to the CIML Conference third team.
Starr said she’s very excited to become a Bulldog.
“There really wasn’t anything I didn’t like about Drake!” she said. “The coaches are big on the mental aspect of the game, which is important to me. I just feel like it is a place where I can grow, both as a player and as a person. The current players were all so welcoming and family-like. Obviously, Centennial softball has a great culture, and I knew I wanted to go somewhere with the same feeling.
“Plus, I love that Drake is close to home!” she added.