Maegen Ellis’ dream came true last month.
After years of playing softball and watching the sport on television, Ellis realized her goal to play on the Division I level June 24 when she signed a scholarship to play at Nicholls State in Thibodaux, Louisiana, which is about 90 miles west of New Orleans.
Ellis made the signing “official” Wednesday when she posed for a picture with East Central Community College (ECCC) coach Kristin Chaney.
“It was a just a lot of praying,” Ellis said of her decision to sign with coach Angel Santiago’s program.
Ellis said she received word from Chaney that Santiago was interested in her two to two-and-a-half months ago. She said she had visited only one school and had two or three others she was considering at the time and that she really didn’t know if she was going to go the Division I or Division II route.
That all changed when she arrived at Nicholls State.
“It was really homey,” Ellis said. “It wasn’t too big of a campus and it wasn’t too small. It was really pretty.”
Ellis said she also had a good feeling about how she would fit in with the softball program. Nicholls State went 39-17 (21-5 in the Southland Conference) this past season. The Colonels recorded their most wins in a season since 1998 and their first postseason victory since the 2008 Southland Conference tournament. The team loses seven seniors from the 2016 squad.
“I know it is going to be a challenge, and I like challenges,” said Ellis, who played shortstop and helped ECCC finish 44-11 this past season. “It is going to push me to be the best I can be. It is going to be different, and it is going to push me to see how hard I want to work.”
Ellis hit .364 with two home runs and 42 RBIs this season. She had 19 doubles, 52 runs, 32 walks, 14 sacrifices, a .481 on-base percentage, a .570 slugging percentage, and six stolen bases.
As a freshman, Ellis hit .326 with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs to help lead ECCC to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II title game. Kankakee (Ill.) C.C. beat ECCC 5-1 to win its first national championship.
Ellis also had 12 doubles, 26 walks, 12 sacrifices, seven stolen bases, a .413 on-base percentage, and a .571 slugging percentage as a freshman.
Chaney knew about Ellis’ dream to play Division I ball from when she recruited her at Oak Hill Academy in West Point. She is confident Ellis will adjust to the next level because she is extremely competitive and she is a hard worker.
“She played shortstop for me because that is where we had to have her, but I think she will change positions and get comfortable,” Chaney said. “I think she will have to compete because Nicholls State had a very good year and she is just going to have to bring it every day.”
Ellis said Santiago has talked to her about her playing second or third base or in the outfield. She said she is willing to play wherever she can as long as it helps her realize a goal she has had ever since she can remember.
Chaney had a sense of what that dream meant to Ellis when she recruited her, but she developed an even better appreciation after she told Ellis about Santiago’s interest following a visit to her church in Beulah Hubbard (Little Rock), which is seven miles from Decatur.
“Maegen was kind of silent,” said Chaney, who was driving them to Mississippi College in Clinton and looked in the rear-view mirror to catch Ellis’ reaction. “She had a big old smile on her face because she was ecstatic.”
Ellis said her two years at ECCC helped her faith grow stronger. She said she watched Chaney get saved on Dec. 11, 2014, and realized she had to be patient in her own life and wait for God’s plan for her to crystallize. She said she knew she would play softball somewhere, and that the belief friends and family members had in her helped keep her strong.
“I guess God knew my plan in life and He wanted me to play and really believed that is what I am supposed to do,” Ellis said.
Chaney didn’t accompany Ellis on her visit to Nicholls State. She said she talked to Ellis that night and had a feeling she had found a place to play. Chaney said prayer and patience played important roles in Ellis realizing her goal.
“It was fun,” Chaney said of watching Ellis’ reaction to hearing Nicholls State was interested. “I knew (what she was thinking) when she signed with me two years ago. That the whole time it was, ‘I want to play Division I ball. I want to play Division I ball.’ Looking back it was really special.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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