MAIDEN, N.C. — Finding one’s passion in life is not always easy and most of the time it is ever-changing. For some individuals, finding that certain ‘thing’ comes naturally while for others it may take time.
Time was of no consequence for Maiden High School rising senior Macy Michael as her passion came to her via the softball diamond.
It was a passion that began at just 5-years-old. Initially, this was a way of bonding with her big sister Lexie, as well as her father Barry.
Michael said she enjoyed playing softball because of Lexie, and it has since, for the most part, been the only sport that called to her in a significant way.
Earlier on in her athletic career, Michael said that she spent time as a catcher and that she even spent time on the pitcher’s mound.
Nevertheless, once she got older, she was able to play in the infield primarily as a third baseman and a shortstop. These two happen to be her favorite positions although she’s essentially played them all. She said that no one position is ahead of another as every place on the field is important.
Flash ahead to her freshman year of high school, Michael played a bit on the Lady Blue Devils’ varsity softball team. During the shortened 2021 season, she participated in 12 of the team’s 14 games. Maiden finished with a 6-8 record, both overall and in South Fork 2A Conference action.
She showed signs of her prowess at bat during this campaign as she obtained a .393 batting average with 11 hits. This included four doubles and a triple, along with six RBI and six runs scored.
She even knocked out her first career dinger on April 19, 2021, in a 15-12 loss against North Lincoln. In that contest, Michael finished 4-for-4 while also notching three RBI and a double.
More than any individual accolade that first season, Michael had the most enjoyment playing with Lexie for the last time.
“It was fun because it was the first time we got to play together again since I was 6,” she said. “[When it came to advice,] she told me I had to work hard to earn my position.”
She heeded her older sister’s advice and then some for the next two seasons.
During her sophomore campaign in 2022, Michael worked hard for her position in the lineup, and she finished the season with the second-highest batting average on the Lady Blue Devils at .469. In the leading spot was Averie Waddell with a .486 average.
Michael garnered 30 hits in 64 at-bats which included three triples and three doubles. She also acquired 24 RBI, to go along with 32 runs scored including a team-best seven homers.
Her ability to take over games as a hitter led Michael to her first All-Catawba Valley 2A Conference nod. She also earned her first North Carolina Softball Coaches Association 2A All-District 7 award, as well a spot on the NCSCA 2A All-State team as a shortstop.
Along with her individual accomplishments, Michael and her teammates finished the 2022 season at 14-9 overall and at 10-4 in the CVAC, good for third place in the standings.
Despite falling in the opening round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 2A West state playoffs against Southwestern Randolph, 7-4, on May 10, 2022 ‒ Michael’s first playoff appearance ‒ the Lady Blue Devils found solace in the fact that its core would remain intact for the 2023 season.
The core athletes that returned in 2023 included Michael, Waddell, all-conference/all-district pitcher Tristan Smalling, all-conference/all-district player Miranda Valerio, as well as all-conference/all-district athlete Aleah Ikard.
With this continuity of players, much like Michael, Maiden raised the bar on its success in lieu of a new coaching staff.
In her previous two seasons, Michael was under the coaching helm of Hugh McCall. In 2023, she would be coached by a familiar face via Heath Kiser.
“I was able to play for Coach Kiser my 8th grade year,” said Michael. “They both have different styles of coaching, but all coaches do. I have learned a lot from each of them and greatly appreciate all they have done for me as a player.”
Under Kiser, the Lady Blue Devils finished the season at an impressive 20-4 overall and 13-1 in the CVAC. The 2023 season highlights included a 12-game winning streak, along with Maiden defeating its adversary Bandys in extras in enemy territory on March 16, 5-3.
“Macy has gotten bigger, faster, and stronger since middle school,” said Kiser. “She has improved physically and mentally at the game. Furthermore, she has a work ethic outside of practice that makes her an elite player.”
The 13-1 CVAC mark signified Maiden’s first time being atop its conference in a full season of play since the 2018 season when it went 12-2 in the SFAC.
The Lady Blue Devils also earned its way to the third round of the NCHSAA 2A West state playoffs for the first time in the modern era.
In the midst of Maiden’s accomplishments, Michael and her comrade Waddell were essentially the two-headed monster at-bat once again in 2023.
Michael garnered a team-high .613 batting average while obtaining a career and team-best 46 hits including 10 doubles and two triples, a team-high 45 RBI, along with a career-high 16 home runs.
“I have always strived to do my best with tons of practice and countless hours in the cage,” she said about her approach. “I just wanted to work hard to give my team the best opportunity to win. Not necessarily hitting more home runs, but having better at bats and looking for pitches that I could drive every at bat.”
Waddell followed up with a .542 batting average which included 39 hits and six dingers of her own.
“We both had a great season and she pushed me to work harder,” she said of Waddell. “I am looking forward to our senior year.”
Michael had been awarded all-conference honors twice including a spot as the All-CVAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2023.
She was recently distinguished as a NCSCA All-District 7 athlete once again while also being named as the 2023 NCSCA 2A District 7 Player of the Year for the first time in her career.
The 2023 NCSCA All-State awards were released on June 30, and she was selected once more to the 2A list; thus, earning her place as a two-time recipient of this distinction.
Michael said that she is very honored to receive every award she has attained because it just shows that her hard work has paid off.
“Macy was very instrumental offensively and defensively [in the team’s success],” said Kiser. “She led the team in most offensive stats and made many defensive plays that gave or increased our momentum throughout the season.”
When it comes to the rest of her teammates’ level of play this season, Michael said that the team overall was pretty consistent and played well enough together so that it could reach a deep spot in the playoffs. The team as a whole combined for a .401 batting average.
Ikard, one of the team’s leading seniors, hit five home runs of her own in 2023 while fellow graduate Miranda Valerio followed suit with a dinger and a .394 batting average.
The Lady Blue Devils also had a solid showing from its pitchers.
Smalling went 3-1 in 13 appearances on the mound in 58 ½ innings pitched. She struck out 25 batters.
Rising sophomore Raegan Rembert also did her job at pitcher as she notched a 6-2 record in 19 appearances in 71 ⅔ innings pitched. Rembert earned 71 strikeouts while allowing 46 hits and 12 earned runs (1.17 ERA).
Furthermore, Michael ‒ who turned 17-years-old on June 19 ‒ has already made up her mind as to what collegiate school she will attend to continue her softball career. She verbally committed to UNC Greensboro in 2022.
“At first, I wasn’t sure,” she said. “I was looking at a lot of different schools. I was invited on a visit to UNCG and fell in love with the campus, the coaching staff, players & athletic facilities.”
Although she looks to be a Spartan in 2025, Michael believes she still has work to do to prepare for her final high school season in 2024. She said she wants to continue to work hard and help give the Lady Blue Devils an opportunity to be successful once again.
Instead of resting before her final campaign, Michael has still been getting hits in the off-season as a member of the Team North Carolina 16U travel softball team that’s based in Lincolnton under head coach Brad Huss.
The program recently competed in the IDT Louisville Slugger Independence Day Softball Tournament held from June 28 through July 2 in Louisville, Colorado.
Michael and company will not rest there as Team North Carolina 16U heads back on the field at the Atlanta Legacy Invitational beginning on July 14, before finishing out its summer schedule on Aug. 5, with the Last Chance Showcase in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
