Every month, the Blue & Gold newspaper will choose one student athlete to be featured for the “Athlete of the issue”. The athletes are chosen and voted on by the newspaper staff. It is undeniable who’s the athlete of the issue this month. 

Leila Ammon, a junior at Gulf Breeze High School, currently plays on the varsity softball team and is a pitcher and an outfielder. Ammon plays a crucial role in the Dolphins being 15-0. In the nine games Ammon has played so far this year, she’s amassed 134 strikeouts in 65.1 innings. She has also won player of the game seven times. It’s impressive how Ammon has gotten these high numbers, and in response she says, “To get these numbers, I need a lot of practice and hard work. I practice every day.” 

In addition to her amazing pitching, Ammon is also a very impressive hitter. In the 36 at bats she’s had, Ammon has totaled 12 hits. Shes totaled seven singles, one double, two triples and two home runs. Furthermore, Ammon has 10 RBI’s and a .333 batting average. As previously mentioned, Ammon also plays in the outfield. In the four games she’s played, Ammon averages a .833 fielding percentage. 

Going back to her younger days, Ammon first started playing softball when she was just five years old. Ammon says the reason she started was, “my dad is in the military, and he wanted me to have something to fill the void with.” She says her inspiration to play softball has always been her sister, Olivia Ammon.  

Ammon’s favorite thing about softball is her teammates and winning. Ammon even committed to a division one school, Middle Tennessee State University. When asked why she committed to the university, Ammon said, “I chose Middle Tennessee State because it was one of the only colleges that felt like home. Also, the coaches are very sweet and three of my travel teammates are going there.”