Payton Willenkamp '24 Recruiting Profile

Hello, my name is Payton Willenkamp, I live in Greenville, Wisconsin and go to Appleton North High School. I will be graduating in 2024. I currently have a 3.9 GPA. The positions I play are catcher, first, and third base, but I am always excited to try new positions. 

I fell in love with softball when I started t-ball. I started to play travel ball at 10u. I love being on the field. Ever since then I have played and when I'm not on the field I am only dreaming of being there. As an athlete, I believe that you can never give up. As a three sport athlete (softball, basketball and volleyball) I have realized that when you get down on yourself it can be a spiral effect. So that means that you have to keep your head high. For example, we all strike out, but I don't let that one time put me down, I go right back up and keep swinging. When I'm not playing a sport in the summer, I like to spend my time umpiring and spending time with family and friends. I enjoy watching/mentoring young girls fall in love with the sport like I did. During the school year, I work very hard to keep my grades up. I also spend my time volunteering in my community helping coach younger children and through my church program. I am also in the spirit club, and I was a WEB leader in the 8th grade, during this I would help the 6th graders make the adjustment to moving classes. I am looking forward to being in the link crew (this is a leadership program that helps people in our school) so that I can continue helping people. When I finish with my education I am looking forward to being a special education teacher, because my passion is helping people succeed.  Thank you for taking the time to read what I have written.