RamWire Exclusive: In Focus with Amber Nelson

In this RamWire exclusive series, we go In Focus and get the details on some of the most engaging photos from CSU Athletics events. Our latest photo features softball senior catcher Amber Nelson during a bullpen session before a game during the 2019 season.

On becoming a catcher

From a young age I was always the kid who was able to catch and throw. I was actually never a really good hitter until about high school, I was just scared to hit. So, I just got thrown into catching, but I was always on teams because I was the only little one who could catch.

My freshman year I played on the varsity team for my high school in California, it was very competitive. As a freshman I had to keep up with all the older girls who were going to college, so I had no choice but to be good and get better. That's kind of where I took that position and really just ran with it. It's been so much fun.

On the relationships between a pitcher and a catcher

I love the relationship that you build with the pitchers. That's something I've always loved. I still talk to all of my old pitching friends, who I played with in high school and club. There is a relationship that I feel like is unique and special that you don't get in a lot of other positions.

You have to know what to say and when to say it. I think knowing them and who they are as an individual and what they value plays a big part of it into knowing what to say and how to approach them in a crucial or stressful situation. You need to know if you should make them laugh in a stressful situation or pump them up and be their biggest fan. It's just knowing them and knowing who they are that makes it so special.

On two new pitchers joining the team this season

It's been fun! They're great. I've been with Bridgette [Hutton] for four years, so I've known that relationship for a while. We were actually roommates our freshman year.

Being able to build new relationships with new pitchers who are new to the school and have experiences in other places was really interesting. They can bring their own experiences and insight too, so it's been fun.

On surpassing last season's shutout total

This year is different because each pitcher knows they each bring something different to the table, and I think they really thrive on that. I feel like they know that if one team struggles with a certain pitch, that one pitcher may be more successful with that team than the other pitcher who doesn't have that pitch. They'll still root them on and they all totally support each other which I think is new and unique this year. I feel like they all complement each other very well, they're all so different.

On the team's mindset heading into the season

We kind of came into the season with a chip on our shoulder. We knew we didn't perform as well as we should have last year. We knew we wanted to prove something. We are good, we are here and we're going to prove that we deserve to be here.

In the offseason, we talked about John Wooden's pyramid of success and the word that stood out to me the most, and probably a lot of other girls, was industriousness. In the past we've always been hard-workers, but we were just that – hard workers. When we talked about industriousness, we talked about doing the hard work but with purpose.

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