Chloe Fritch

CHICORA — Singing just comes naturally to Chloe Fritch.

“She’s been into music forever,” her mother, Angela Fritch, said. “Chloe moved to the music when she was a baby. She hears something on the radio, she starts singing along with it.”

In a few months, she’ll be singing in front of thousands.

Chloe, 8, a second-grader at Chicora Elementary, won the “Oh Say Can You Sing” competition at PirateFest recently and will sing the national anthem before the Pirates’ May 25 game against the Miami Marlins at PNC Park.

A member of her church choir since age 5, Chloe sang before approximately 200 people during Chicora’s Light-Up Night earlier this year.

“She got up there and sang ‘O Holy Night.’ She doesn’t seem to get intimidated or nervous at all in front of crowds,” her mother said.

Chloe reached the finals of the Piratefest competition Dec. 14 and sang on stage at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The judges were Pirate players Gregory Polanco, Francisco Cervelli and Stolmy Pimentel.

Four competitors earned three “perfect 10” scores and crowd reaction earned Chloe the victory.

“I’m excited,” she said about the opportunity to perform the anthem at PNC Park. “I won’t be nervous ... It’s just singing.”

Various family members have singing backgrounds and “they help me with my pitches,” Chloe added.

She said her favorite Pirate player is Neil Walker and that she enjoys going to games as a fan.

She also enjoys participating in sports. Chloe plays soccer, golf, basketball, does gymnastics and shoots a bow.

“She’s a well-rounded little girl,” her mother said.

But Chloe’s first love is singing.

“It makes me feel good,” she said. “I like to sing in front of the mirror.”

And in front of people.

“It’s fun when they cheer,” she said.

There’s little chance Chloe will forget any words to the anthem when she steps on the field May 25.

“Once she hears the words to any song, she just seems to know it,” her mother said.