Ever since she was a little girl, Elizabethton senior Macie Herrmann has been a fan of the Lady Buffaloes softball team.
And Thursday, the speedy Lady Cyclones shortstop made it official that she will soon be a Lady Buffalo herself as she inked her name with Milligan College, where she will play softball.
“I grew up watching Milligan play,” said Herrmann. “I have always wanted to play at Milligan, and I am super excited to be a Buff.”
Herrmann still has a season left with the Lady Cyclones after Elizabethton made it to the TSSAA Class AA State Tournament this past season. The future Buff said she feels the pressure off her shoulders after getting her signing out of the way and is ready to put her focus on her last run with the Lady Cyclones.
“I can just enjoy my senior year,” said Herrmann. “I still want to progress and do better my senior year and go out with a bang.”
One of the first things many people notice when watching Herrmann play is her quickness and speed, especially on the base paths. Herrmann’s agility has made her a key weapon for the Lady Cyclones offense and defense, said Elizabethton head coach Ken Hardin during Thursday’s signing.
“She turns a lot of singles into doubles,” said Hardin. “She has done a lot of great things for us. Like I said before, she is always on base. She has been here all four years, and her speed is probably one of her biggest assets. She is also one of the best defensive shortstops I have ever seen.”
Not only does Herrmann have the athletic chops, she also has the drive to get better and work hard on and off the field, said Hardin.
“When she came in as a freshman, I guess the first thing you notice about Macie is her size and speed,” said Hardin. “But everything she could do to make herself better she was doing. Anybody that would hit to her or throw to her she was always working.”
For a coach, seeing one of their athletes sign to play at the next level brings joy. And it makes things even sweeter when they ink their name with a school like Milligan College, said Hardin.
“Anytime a school with a reputation like Milligan wants one of your players from an athletic and academic standpoint, it is big,” said Hardin. “This just doesn’t mean a lot to Macie and her family, but it also means a lot to our program.”
Milligan head coach Wes Holly was hand during Thursday’s signing and said that Herrmann is exactly the type of athlete that the Buffaloes look for.
“First of all, Macie is a great student as well as a great person,” said Milligan head softball coach Wes Holly. “We look for that characteristic at Milligan. She is very athletic and has a great softball IQ to go along with her student GPA. She is just an outstanding young lady. We are just tickled to have her.”
The Milligan softball team, which competes in the Appalachian Athletic Conference, finished last year with a 21-23 overall record while going 10-10 in league play. The Lady Buffs will open the 2018 season on the road at Lincoln Memorial University.