MOUNT VERNON – Statistically speaking, what occurred on Wednesday afternoon at Mount Vernon High School was improbable, and quite possibly historic.
According to the NCAA’s website, nearly eight million students currently participate in high school athletics in the U.S. Of those, only 540,000 (or 6.75 percent) get to play at the next level – whether in the NCAA or NAIA.
On Wednesday, three senior Yellow Jacket softball players officially became a part of that 6.75 percent.
Hope Straight, Macee Marcum and Megan Pentz all signed to play collegiately on National Signing Day, the first day when recruits can finalize their commitment to their future school.
Straight signed with Ohio State, Marcum signed with Cleveland State and Pentz signed with Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
The trio played a pivotal role as juniors on last year’s OCC championship team, which went 23-3 and lost by one run in the regional semifinals. The Yellow Jackets hit 47 home runs last year (second-most in OHSAA history), scored 218 runs (sixth all-time), and rattled off 392 hits (sixth all-time).
Straight and Marcum also had historic seasons individually. Straight tallied 22 home runs – one short of the OHSAA’s single-season record – and was named OCC Player of the Year for the second straight season. Marcum recorded 61 hits last year, ranking fourth in the state in that category.
Coach Mike Marcum (Macee’s father) called all three seniors “multi-position players” defensively, given their versatility in the field. Marcum and Straight will typically pitch and play infield positions, while Pentz plays outfield and some infield on occasion.
For Mike Marcum, Wednesday was a dream come true.
“I’m excited for the girls for sure, it is a big day,” the coach said. “I think in the last two years, I’ve had 11 signed off one of my summer teams. It never gets old.”
The three seniors spoke briefly on-stage at Mount Vernon’s high school theatre before signing, surrounded by family and friends. Afterwards, they posed for pictures with their new school flags.
For Straight, Signing Day was the realization of a goal she’s had since she was 7 years old: to become a Buckeye.
“I did have other offers but my goal was definitely to become a Buckeye,” said Straight, who received interest from schools such as Kentucky and James Madison. “When I got the offer, I accepted it within days.
“I never really thought about going anywhere else. Since I was 7, I knew I was going to be a Buckeye, and I made that dream become a reality.”
Signing Day represented another step in Straight’s return from a gruesome labrum tear that limited her pitching opportunities last season. The senior looks forward to getting back on the pitching circle this spring, as she had surgery in the offseason and is making a healthy return.
The road back hasn’t been easy, however.
“Surgery was pretty bad, I sit with seven anchors in my shoulder now. And it was a lot of ups and downs – more downs than ups – but I know with the support of my family and friends and coaches that I could get back out on the mound,” Straight said.
Straight thanked her teammates, and especially the girls sitting alongside her on-stage Wednesday, for supporting her through the recovery process.
“I remember that even throughout the process, after my surgery, that each one of the girls had my back,” she said. “And that when I first came back from recovery, I was not necessarily playing my best and no matter what, they supported me and kept my head held high.”
Macee Marcum said that she, Straight and Pentz have been friends and teammates since the age of 10. And while they won’t be able to continue their careers together in college (although they had dreamed of doing so when they were younger), she believes they’ll still maintain a strong relationship from afar.
“We talked about that when we were little, like it’s always your dream to go to college with your friends. But we’ve been friends for so long that we can keep our friendship without going to the same college, and I’m excited to see how well they do,” Marcum said.
Marcum said she was attracted to the intimate feel of Cleveland State’s campus, even though it is located downtown.
“I really like how it was, it’s like such a big city obviously, but the college doesn’t feel like it’s in the middle of downtown Cleveland,” Marcum said. “It’s like a home, kind of, and I really like that about it.”
While Marcum and Straight will be off to two of Ohio’s biggest cities, Pentz looks forward to continuing her career in her hometown. She said she chose MVNU for several reasons, most of which became clear on her campus visit.
“The people were just really amazing and so nice and encouraging on campus, and I chose it because it’s a place that I feel I can excel in the classroom, spiritually and on the field,” Pentz said.
Pentz plans to major in math education, with the hope of becoming a teacher and coach one day.
“I want to be able to make an impact and I feel like that’s the best way to make an impact, just to be around kids and work with students,” Pentz said. “I was once in their place, and I want to be able to make an impact on their life.”
She also looks forward to having her family nearby to support her at games.
Both Pentz and Mike Marcum touched on the lofty goals the team has for the upcoming season, as the Yellow Jackets are returning the majority of last year’s roster. Marcum said the team has already set one goal above all else: winning state.
“That’s our goal,” Marcum said. “We put it on the calendar last year and circumstances happened that… we didn’t get there. But hopefully this year there’s a different flavor.”
With one season of high school softball left, Pentz hopes to finish unfinished business.
“I think we have a good path in front of us and a lot of talent, and a lot of good team chemistry,” Pentz said. “I’m excited to see how far it takes us in tournaments this year.”
Softball season officially kicks off on February 18, according to the OHSAA’s website, with games beginning on March 23.
Other signings in Knox County:
- Kait Briggs, a senior on the Danville softball team, signed with the University of Findlay
- Reese Dorsey, a senior soccer player from Danville, signed with Ohio University
- Clem Cunningham, a senior on the Fredericktown baseball team, signed with Mount Vernon Nazarene University
- Jaxon Snyder, a senior on the Mount Vernon baseball team, signed with Malone University (on Wednesday)
