From Showing Goats To Being the GOAT
May 9, 2022 | Softball
Growing up as a coach's daughter on an eastern Iowa farm, Kamryn Meyer has had two consistent loves ā sports and livestock. In fact, she can't think of a time in her life when the two didn't occupy her time.
Omaha's junior pitcher has been active in athletics since she started tee ball around the age of 4. She began participating in livestock competitions not long after ā at first with sheep and then with goats.
Meyer plans to show her goats at the Iowa State Fair one final time this summer before aging out of 4-H. Until then, she's working on being the GOAT ā as in greatest off all-time ā in the circle for the Mavericks.
On Sunday, Meyer broke the school record for strikeouts in a season when she recorded punchout No. 260 in Omaha's regular-season finale. The old record of 259 was set by freshman Cheris Kuster in 2004.
The Mavericks were playing at the NCAA Division II level then, as they were when Beth Haley topped the school's single-game strikeout record with 17. Meyer broke that record this year too ā on two occasions.
Omaha was victorious on all three of Meyer's record-setting days. To her, that was most important.
"Strikeouts are just a number," the Maverick pitcher said. "I would rather us go out there, score 10 runs and I have no strikeouts, but we win that ballgame. My goal is to win ballgames. Stats are just a number. Yes, it's nice to be in the record books, but I think the overall big picture is just winning ballgames."
Omaha has done a lot of that with Meyer in the circle. Sunday's 2-1 victory over Western Illinois was her 20th of the season. The junior has won each of her last 13 decisions. Her last loss was back on March 26.
Meyer's win total this season is double that of last spring when she went 10-8 under former coach Amanda Eberhart. New Omaha coach Mike Heard said his top pitcher has taken a step forward in 2022.
"I don't think I'm going out on a limb by saying she's much better than she was last year," he said. "It has happened, but that's on her. It's not on us. She's a hard worker with attention to detail. She has that drive in her where she wants to be great. Ninety-nine percent of everything she's done, that's on her."
Meyer said that internal drive came from balancing her time back home in Iowa, where she starred in three sports at Durant High School while working on her parent's and grandpa's farms with their goats.
"Growing up around livestock ā and having those responsibilities ā has definitely shaped me into the player that I am," she said. "Having a good work ethic, working hard and wanting to achieve goals ā whether it was wanting to win with my goats or on the court or field ā has shaped me into who I am."
Meyer has become, arguably, the top pitcher in the Summit League. She's received the league's weekly pitching award five times this season and was just named the conference's top female athlete for April.
She helped the Mavericks earn the No. 2 seed in this week's conference tournament in Brookings, S.D, where an NCAA bid is up for grabs. Omaha's hopes in the four-day event rest upon her right arm.
"It's no secret, in softball, that everything revolves around that circle," Heard said. "Whether you want to be or not, when you're in that circle, you're a leader. She's embraced that, and you can see how the teammates follow her. The energy she brings when she's in that circle, it kind of spreads to everybody."
Heard knew he'd inherited a good pitcher when he took over, but he wasn't sure how good Meyer is.
"I knew there was some talent there. I knew there was some potential there. But I did not know quite how much. She's better than what I thought I was getting," he said. "We're glad we've got her this year, and we're glad we've got her for a couple of years to come. I think she's got that attitude where she's going to want to continue to get better and better."
Meyer, who fired a no-hitter against UTSA earlier this year and flirted with another at Western Illinois last Saturday, is riding a wave of confidence as the season closes ā both in herself and the team with her.
"I think my mental game is as good as it's ever been. I would say I have my mojo back. And I'm trusting myself a lot more," she said. "I think my team having confidence in me too helps me stay positive. Whenever something does happen in a game ā¦ I just know they have my back. They're going to score runs for me. And our defense is the best I've had behind me in my three years of being here."
Ā
Omaha's junior pitcher has been active in athletics since she started tee ball around the age of 4. She began participating in livestock competitions not long after ā at first with sheep and then with goats.
Meyer plans to show her goats at the Iowa State Fair one final time this summer before aging out of 4-H. Until then, she's working on being the GOAT ā as in greatest off all-time ā in the circle for the Mavericks.
On Sunday, Meyer broke the school record for strikeouts in a season when she recorded punchout No. 260 in Omaha's regular-season finale. The old record of 259 was set by freshman Cheris Kuster in 2004.
The Mavericks were playing at the NCAA Division II level then, as they were when Beth Haley topped the school's single-game strikeout record with 17. Meyer broke that record this year too ā on two occasions.
Omaha was victorious on all three of Meyer's record-setting days. To her, that was most important.
"Strikeouts are just a number," the Maverick pitcher said. "I would rather us go out there, score 10 runs and I have no strikeouts, but we win that ballgame. My goal is to win ballgames. Stats are just a number. Yes, it's nice to be in the record books, but I think the overall big picture is just winning ballgames."
Omaha has done a lot of that with Meyer in the circle. Sunday's 2-1 victory over Western Illinois was her 20th of the season. The junior has won each of her last 13 decisions. Her last loss was back on March 26.
Meyer's win total this season is double that of last spring when she went 10-8 under former coach Amanda Eberhart. New Omaha coach Mike Heard said his top pitcher has taken a step forward in 2022.
"I don't think I'm going out on a limb by saying she's much better than she was last year," he said. "It has happened, but that's on her. It's not on us. She's a hard worker with attention to detail. She has that drive in her where she wants to be great. Ninety-nine percent of everything she's done, that's on her."
Meyer said that internal drive came from balancing her time back home in Iowa, where she starred in three sports at Durant High School while working on her parent's and grandpa's farms with their goats.
"Growing up around livestock ā and having those responsibilities ā has definitely shaped me into the player that I am," she said. "Having a good work ethic, working hard and wanting to achieve goals ā whether it was wanting to win with my goats or on the court or field ā has shaped me into who I am."
Meyer has become, arguably, the top pitcher in the Summit League. She's received the league's weekly pitching award five times this season and was just named the conference's top female athlete for April.
She helped the Mavericks earn the No. 2 seed in this week's conference tournament in Brookings, S.D, where an NCAA bid is up for grabs. Omaha's hopes in the four-day event rest upon her right arm.
"It's no secret, in softball, that everything revolves around that circle," Heard said. "Whether you want to be or not, when you're in that circle, you're a leader. She's embraced that, and you can see how the teammates follow her. The energy she brings when she's in that circle, it kind of spreads to everybody."
Heard knew he'd inherited a good pitcher when he took over, but he wasn't sure how good Meyer is.
"I knew there was some talent there. I knew there was some potential there. But I did not know quite how much. She's better than what I thought I was getting," he said. "We're glad we've got her this year, and we're glad we've got her for a couple of years to come. I think she's got that attitude where she's going to want to continue to get better and better."
Meyer, who fired a no-hitter against UTSA earlier this year and flirted with another at Western Illinois last Saturday, is riding a wave of confidence as the season closes ā both in herself and the team with her.
"I think my mental game is as good as it's ever been. I would say I have my mojo back. And I'm trusting myself a lot more," she said. "I think my team having confidence in me too helps me stay positive. Whenever something does happen in a game ā¦ I just know they have my back. They're going to score runs for me. And our defense is the best I've had behind me in my three years of being here."
Ā
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ SoftballTuesday, September 01
Wednesday, August 26
Friday, August 21
Tuesday, April 21
