Warren senior Caitlyn Britton is a big fan of the Cubs’ Kris Bryant.
Entering her freshman season, Britton wanted to refine her swing in an effort to increase her power. Joe Ferro, her longtime personal hitting coach, discovered a perfect fit.
Ferro, who works at Lakefront Dugout in Kenosha, Wis., said Britton quickly bought into the slight adjustment to her swing — especially since it corresponded to a certain No. 17.
“We watched a lot of videos of Kris Bryant,” Ferro said. “(Britton) was long and had power to all fields like Bryant. We had her swing emulate Kris Bryant’s.
“It was more about her swing pattern, getting her left foot down after hitting. She wasn’t going to help the team hitting ground balls but by hitting home runs and doubles. She was strong. Her misses would be doubles. It clearly worked in her career.”
Britton, an outfielder/pitcher and Central Michigan recruit, capped off a prolific four-year career with another memorable season.
The 2019 News-Sun Softball Player of the Year batted .573 with 11 doubles, 19 home runs and 64 RBIs. It was the third straight season that Britton, who hits right-handed, was named player of the year.
“I knew this was my last year and I wanted to end the season off right,” Britton said. “I worked really hard, did a lot of running over the summer and hit and pitched a lot.
“I just started seeing the ball better this year. I was practicing more on outside pitches and noticing pitches sooner.”
Britton, who led the Blue Devils to four straight Class 4A regional titles, leaves a lasting legacy with career totals of 52 homers and 219 RBIs.
“Caitlyn had an amazing career,” Warren coach Jenna Charbonneau said. “She broke a lot of records and really left her mark at Warren with another great season.”
Ferro praised Britton’s tireless work ethic for helping her put up such strong numbers. He said Britton started working with him when she was 8.
“The first time I saw her, she was advanced,” he said. “She would come into our facility a lot. Before we changed her hitting, she still had juice, just not consistent juice. Once she learned how to apply it, it was a game changer.
“She knew what the goal was on every single at-bat — hit doubles and home runs. She was hunting pitches she could hammer. Anything down and in and middle in is her power.”
As a freshman, Britton roamed the hallways of Warren as a relative unknown. She had attended Millburn Middle School in Lindenhurst. She said she “knew about 20 kids” when she started high school.
After making an immediate impact on a varsity loaded with Division I recruits as a freshman, Britton kept adding to her reputation each season.
She finished her career ranked sixth all-time in the state for career home runs and seventh for RBIs.
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“I was very quiet in my freshman year and was just trying to fit in,” Britton said. “I was really nervous and wanted to be a good team. That year gave me a lot of confidence.
“I loved the experience of playing for Warren. I tried to work hard every year to be the best player and teammate I could be.”
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.