It’s a moment that will live with her forever.
As she walks towards the pitcher’s circle during the christening of Jane Sanders stadium, Oregon softball player Sammie Puentes isn’t focused on the 1,600 people watching her.
Singing the national anthem is going to be the greatest moment of her life. All she has to do is take the mic, trust her practice and let her pipes take over.
“That was the most nervous I’ve ever felt in my entire life — I was so afraid of forgetting the lyrics that I was panicking beforehand and didn’t know if I’d be able to actually do it,” Puentes said.
As long as she can remember, Puentes has loved to sing. Besides the shampoo and conditioner in her shower, Puentes’ only audience was her mom.
“My mom had a beautiful voice and she used to sing a lot, but then she stopped for a long time and her [singing] voice never came back,” Sammie said. “She would still sing to my sister and me, but now it’s me with the singing voice and I owe that to her.”
Sammie and her mother Sara Puentes would sing together whenever they were in the car: mainly Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You” and the Dixie Chicks.
Although Puentes appears confident in everything she does, she considers live performances one of her biggest fears — that’s why you’ll only find her singing in videos she posts to her 10,500 followers on Instagram.
“It’s totally different singing online because I can record myself first and listen to it and decide if it’s good enough to post,” Sammie said. “I’ve never had one negative comment but I’m just not ready for it and don’t know how I’ll react.”
While all of the comments she receives both online and by friends who watch the videos are nothing but positive, her own fear is something that limits her potential for a singing career after her time wearing green and yellow is over.
“I’m moving to LA for sure and I know I want to do something with music,” Sammie said. “I really hope to sing, so that’s why that moment was so big to me, but I just know I’ll be working in the music industry.”
After Sammie grabs the mic from Oregon Associate Athletic Director Lisa Peterson and the background music starts to play, her natural instincts take over. What comes out is a beautiful rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” that has everybody in the crowd transfixed.
Not only does that moment mark the christening of Jane Sanders Stadium, it is also foundational for the rest of Sammie Puentes’ life.
“Singing is definitely my passion  — I’ve always wanted to become a singer but obviously my confidence is holding me back,” Sammie said. “That was a stepping stone by singing in front of everybody and I’m so happy I did that — I’ll remember it forever.”
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka