Athlete of the Week: Kaycee Wells

Kaycee Wells is not your stereotypical cheerleader.

You won’t find her standing on the sidelines waving a pair of pom-poms or doing back flips across the football field. Instead, Wells does all of her cheering from the softball field.

“I always have a lot of energy, and I just like to help keep the spirit up,” the Lady Pirates’ shortstop said. “I just try and stay up all the time and not let the ladies get down at all.”

As the heart of the Lady Pirates’ infield and starting lineup, Wells is consistently in the field of play. But it’s not just her playmaking ability that has captured the attention of her coaches and teammates.

Wells’ fun-loving spirit and happy-go-lucky attitude have provided an additional element to Braden River’s softball games. She’s the first one to stand on the bleachers, pounding the walls of the dugout in celebration, and the last one to walk off the mound.

“She keeps everybody loose, and that’s what this team needs,” coach Doug Powell said. “(All season) they were lose and happy-go-lucky, and Kaycee keeps it that way.”

Wells grew up playing softball with her older sister, Krista, and when Wells arrived at Braden River, the two became what Wells called the “team pumper-uppers.”

With her sister off to college, Wells continued to carry on the tradition this season. Nicknamed the team cheerleader, Wells is by far the loudest member of the Lady Pirates softball team. So it’s no surprise that Wells walks off the field without her voice more often than not.

“I’ve just always been the one to keep the spirit up on all the teams that I’ve been on,” Wells said.