TOWSON, Md. - Macie McGeehan did not have the typical freshman year for a student-athlete. An infielder on the Tiger softball team, McGeehan was given the opportunity to play every day in the lineup for the Tigers at the beginning of the season as the designated player. The early returns of Head Coach Lisa Costello's investment of McGeehan in the lineup paid off in a big way, as she batted .346 in her first 11 games, including a 4-for-4 performance against Morgan State in which she hit her first career home run and scored three runs.

“We had a lot of upperclassmen so I wasn't expecting to play a lot of games,” she recalled. “Coach had always talked about our class having a big impact. It was an honor to come in and play.”

But then, a freak injury left McGeehan with a broken nose and stalled the early momentum of her career. She was out of action for three weeks before returning to the lineup. She knew that to regain her confidence, McGeehan would have to ratchet up her focus and intensity to get back on track.

“Being injured, it kind of made it tough and I had to prove to myself that I could play well again,” McGeehan said. “It affected my confidence a lot. It was a bad break.  It was tough sitting out and just watching. Being in the lineup was great but it made me want to keep that spot in the lineup. Your spot is never safe.”

Perhaps no bigger confidence boost came than on April 11 in a doubleheader against Howard, when McGeehan played the game of her life in the opening contest against the Bison. She tied a school record in that game with six runs batted in, including a bases loaded triple and a three-run homer.

“She's going to be a good college hitter,” Costello said. “She's committed to getting better. We need to find a way to get her on the field every day because she's a competitor.”

Not only should freshmen strive for success on the field of play, but they should also use their first year as a learning experience to be a better teammate and acquire leadership skills from upperclassmen.

“The upperclassmen need to teach the young players how to prepare,” Costello said. “That's a big part of it. It's different at this level.”

McGeehan grasped those concepts well and was quick to mention the Tigers' eight seniors as models for professionalism.

“The seniors taught me a lot about playing college ball and being ready for anything,” she said. “We play around 60 games, so you have to be ready and be focused. When people are struggling you want to be the one to step up. I think the seniors stressed that and it showed that we all wanted to succeed. We learned a lot from every single one of them.” 

Next year, McGeehan's goal is to not only hit in the lineup, but earning a starting spot in the infield.

“I've been a fielder my whole life, and not playing it is tough,” McGeehan said. “I'm hoping to play the field next year. I'm working very hard at it and getting in good shape. I hope to do better.”