Naiah Ackerman is well-versed in leadership and, as the Stony Brook softball team shifts into a new era, its star second baseman will play a big role both on and off the field.

Growing up, Ackerman took a liking to softball because of her older brothers, Alec and Nolan. At a young age, Ackerman often played wiffle ball in her Parker, Colo. neighborhood alongside the two. Watching her brothers play baseball swayed her into the world of softball, as she was immersed in it at six years old.

Ackerman was nothing short of a star on the Chaparral High School softball team. By the time she left, her name was etched in the record books. Ackerman’s 131 hits and .476 batting average during her four years on the varsity team were all-time highs for the Wolverines.

It was during her final run at Chaparral that Ackerman learned the value in team bonding. After three seasons of losing records and missing the playoffs, there needed to be change in order to win. She decided the best way to improve the team’s performance was by bringing all the players together. Every Monday, she would host team dinners, or “Bachelor Nights,” at her house, where the team would watch a new episode of “The Bachelor” and eat a home cooked meal.

“If you want to perform well and succeed, your team needs to get along,” Ackerman said in an interview with The Statesman. “[The team] needs to play for one another.”

Her desire to boost performance through friendships sparked from her experience in travel ball with the Colorado Styxx.

“My club team was always close,” Ackerman said. “We were best friends and we [played] really [well]. So I thought since my club team was like that, I should make my high school team the same way.”

Surely enough, Ackerman’s plan worked wonders. Chaparral went from a 3-13 record the previous season to 19-8 during the next, securing its spot in the state championship tournament. While they were unable to make it past the first round, the run was fueled by Ackerman’s desire to win through chemistry.

In her junior year, Ackerman realized her numbers gave her a good chance to play at the collegiate level. On every team she was on up to that point, she was accustomed to having the best statistics.

Not all of her skill came from her natural-born athleticism. She trained at Kula Sports Performance — a facility not far from her home — with her brothers, who both went on to play NCAA Division I college baseball.

“Ever since I was little, I’ve looked up to [my brothers],” Ackerman said. “They’ve gone through the same things I have and helped me a lot [mentally] and with my skills [on the field].”

Ackerman’s hard work paid off just before her senior year, when she found out she was on the Seawolves’ radar. She got word that a coach in the Styxx program — Dane Craig, whose daughter, Riley, played five years at Stony Brook — had reached out to head coach Megan Bryant about the middle infielder’s then uncommitted status.

Ackerman jumped on the opportunity, reaching out to Bryant. Shortly after, the two set up a phone call, then a formal visit.

While she also had an offer from Colorado State University, Ackerman was drawn to the North Shore of Long Island because of Bryant, who called her regularly to check in, and her desire to “see something different” outside of Colorado.

Getting accustomed to life at Stony Brook took some tailoring, but having a supportive team made it far less daunting.

“Freshman year was the hardest,” Ackerman said. “My teammates were the biggest factor. They took me in as their little sister and helped me make that transition.”

It did not take long for Ackerman to get her first prolonged opportunity. Second baseman Sofia Chambers got injured early in the season, allowing Ackerman to take over at the position. Then, just 18 games into the 2023 campaign, shortstop Kyra McFarland suffered a broken wrist that ended her season. Once Chambers returned from her injury just in the nick of time, McFarland’s injury forced Ackerman to slide over to short, where she started for the rest of the campaign.

Ackerman played in 45 games during her freshman season, starting in all but one. Although she struggled at the plate, hitting just .208, she landed herself a spot on the 2023 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) All-Rookie Team.

“[Being on the CAA All-Rookie Team] was huge for me,” Ackerman said. “When you’re a freshman playing against 23-year-olds, you ask if you’re even capable of playing at [the collegiate] level. That proved to me that I was ready and I took that confidence into my sophomore year.”

With that, she was primed to have a breakout sophomore campaign. She got off to a slow start but caught fire midway through the year. In 51 games, she hit .288 with six doubles, five home runs and 28 runs batted in. Additionally, she struck out just 13 times. Her performance last season earned her a 2025 Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention as well.

“I was able to play with confidence and swagger,” Ackerman said. “I relied on my skills and was able to act like I’ve been here before.”

Ackerman’s love for her teammates provided her with extra motivation during the team’s 2024 push, which ended in a CAA Championship tournament defeat at the hands of Hofstra.

“I was also playing for my teammates,” Ackerman said. “We had nine seniors graduating and knowing that this was the last time I would play with them was a big part of [last season].”

With notable departures of center fielder Alicia Orosco, left fielder Catherine Anne Kupinski and first baseman Corinne Badger, among others, Ackerman will have to step into a leadership role to fill the void left behind. Luckily, Ackerman is no stranger to being a prominent voice for her team.

“[I want to] encourage my teammates and hold them accountable,” Ackerman said. “[Veterans before me] set a standard of what games and practices should be like and I want to apply that every day and bring the same intensity that they brought.”

Before focusing on the rest of her team, Ackerman had to climb another hill: getting healthy. In December, she found out that she was dealing with a hip injury due to wear and tear over time. 

From the start, she was not concerned over the injury because she was confident she could come back stronger.

“I knew that if I trained the right way and continued to put in the work, I would be fine,” Ackerman said. “My goal is to come back stronger [than before].”

This is business as usual for Ackerman. She is awfully familiar with putting in the necessary work — whether that be training with her brothers back home, on the field with her team or in this case, at physical therapy — and this was no different.

Her mentality, combined with the help of physical therapy and platelet-rich plasma injections, has allowed Ackerman to recover and be a full participant at team practice. At this pace, she should be back on the field in time for opening day this Friday.

“I ask myself at the end of the day, ‘What can I do to get better for my team?’,” Ackerman said. “It’s about working hard in everything I do and always giving my best effort.”

Ackerman’s junior campaign will commence in the Felsberg Invitational to be played in Miami, Fla. On Friday, Stony Brook kicks off its tournament run by taking on the Iowa State Cyclones and Indiana Hoosiers at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m, respectively.