McKennah Metzger's fly ball lands all the way at Coastal Carolina University
By: Willa Sabelko
A determined player confidently strides up to the plate, plowing her cleats into the dirt to steady herself. She takes a deep breath, grips her lucky bat, locks eyes with the pitcher, and the crowd hushes silent. With pure focus, she lifts the bat as the pitcher winds up, and with a swift, powerful swing, she sends the ball soaring into the horizon.
McKennah Metzger has “been playing softball since tee ball” and “started playing travel ball at 7 years old on a 10u team,” usually comprised of 10-year-olds. From then on, McKennah found a passion for the sport and now plays essentially “year-round.” She explains that “Summer is [her] main season, and [her team] play[s] every weekend,” and continued with how her team “play[s] 4 or 5 weekends in October/November.” Additionally, “[She] also play[s] in an indoor league during winter for high school.” In the spring, when the softball season for high school begins, Metzger “practice[s] and play[s] almost every day of the week, aside from Sundays.” Then, when summer rolls around, she “practice[s] for at least an hour every day of the week, and then play[s] on weekends.” Even when it’s off-season, McKennah never takes a break and “tr[ies] to practice 30-1hr every day” and takes “lessons for pitching and hitting every other week!”
All of these hours put into her craft have paid off. For the 2023 season, she was named conference “Pitcher of the Year” and conference “Player of the Year” (Suburban League).
Moreover, at every game, she shows up. For example, SBLive recognized one of her games on a random week in April where she “threw a six-inning perfect game in a 10-0 victory over Copley, striking out 11 of the 18 batters she faced” and “went 2 for 3 at the plate with a double, a home run and three RBIs.”
Additionally, Rise Softball records McKennah’s fastball as “66 MPH,” and according to the World Baseball Softball Confederation, the fastest pitch recorded is “77 miles per hour (124 km/h) for women.” The record was set by a professional softball player at 27; imagine what McKennah’s future could hold!
As her high school years continued, colleges began to take notice of her hard work. Ultimately, she visited Coastal Carolina and “immediately fell in love.” She explained that “it felt like where [she] belonged” and “The campus and facilities were amazing, and [she] fell in love with the coaching staff and the environment they created.” So, shortly after she returned home, she committed and felt like it was “definitely the best decision for [her]!”
Before she knew it, signing day was approaching, and it was time to make it official. Metzger was not expecting it, but “Initially, [she] was actually a little nervous…but when the time came, it was so so SO fun.” McKennah said this about signing day: “I was surrounded by my teammates, best friends, family, coaches, and more, who all have been the biggest supporters throughout my whole life, and I never felt more loved. Truly one of the best days of my life.” After every long day of practice in the blazing sun and heat, a hard last hour of pitching or hitting, or a rough game she pushed through, she was officially a Chant; she did it!
Metzger explains that she has “always loved the challenge of softball” and how the game is based “around failure,” which makes it “so mentally difficult, but it has made [her] so much stronger.” She continues by explaining how “[She] love[s] how pitching and hitting provide their unique challenges, and when you overcome them, like hitting a home run or pitching a no-hitter, it feels so rewarding.”
Going into college at Coastal, she is feeling “blessed knowing [she] get[s] to keep playing the sport [she] love[s] for 4 more years.” In addition, McKennah is “excited about the friendships” and states, “Knowing I am walking in with 20 friends already makes me feel so much more comfortable.”
Before it is off to the beach for this super-softball powerhouse, though, there are a few things she is looking to accomplish. McKennah declared, “I am super excited for my senior high school season, and I am ready to be back-to-back-to-back Suburban League Champs, plus STATE CHAMPS!”
All photos credited to McKennah Metzger