You’d never know it based on her softball success today, but Cammy Pereira from Clemmons, N.C. wasn’t always bound for fastpitch glory.

The left-handed hitter, who helped the North Carolina Lady Lightning Gold Team-Miken team win the 18U title at the Louisville Slugger Independence Day Tournament a few weeks ago, was actually bound for stardom in another sport before discovering the softball field.

From the age of four until 11, Pereira was an elite talent in competitive cheerleading until one fateful trip made her realize where her heart really was.

“Cammy happened to come with us to a New Jersey tournament,” remembers Lightning Head Coach John Corn. “She instantly fell in love with softball and realized she didn’t want to do cheerleading any more.”

“She later told me, ‘What I didn’t like about cheerleading is it’s a lot of work for only two minutes of success where in softball you work hard every day and get to play four or five games.’”

In 2008, Pereira started her softball journey by being put in a regular rec league, but within two years she had made the first 14U future’s team in the Lady Lightning organization, one that qualified for the Premier Girls Fastpitch national championship in its initial year.

At that time she was a catcher and by her freshman year at West Forsyth High in Winston Salem, N.C., Pereira would earn All-Conference honors as an outfielder.

Today the Class of ’16 standout is a table-setter for one of the top club teams in the country and in the Independence Day Tournament in Boulder, Col. showed her offensive skills as she went 2-for-3 with three runs scored in the Lady Lightning’s 9-0 win over Houston Power.

The former cheerleader has a bright future at the next level as well.  East Carolina has offered a scholarship and she also has interest from Lipscomb (Tenn.) as well as her home state programs, North Carolina and North Carolina State.

“Cammy has received a lot of interest in only a short amount of time,” states Coach Corn, “and it’s only going to grow.  She’s an incredible little athlete who’s committed to be the best player she can be.  Cammy has an awesome work ethic and is a student of the game.”

“She’s dying to get that extra edge that will help her make a big-time play to change the course of a game.”