The indecision was eating at Anna McCrary.
Should she pick East Mississippi Community College, or should she select another school and hope she would get a chance to play softball?
But wait, did she even want to play softball? She had played the sport for so long and even though she had so many fond memories, she wasn’t sure if it was time to move on.
A trip to Itawamba C.C. in Fulton helped her make up her mind.
As a result, the former New Hope High School slow- and fast-pitch standout will get a chance to continue her career in college. McCrary, former Hamilton High standout Lexus Jordan, and Emily Cox, a transfer from Alabama Southern, signed National Letters of Intent earlier this month to play for coach Andy Kirk and the Lady Indians.
“I came up here a few times and I was still iffy about what I was going to do,” McCrary said. “Once I got to know the girls and I had time to hang out with them and the coaches I guess I got the love for softball back. I was kind of worn down from it. I guess the whole new atmosphere is what I needed to boost me back up.”
McCrary, who played outfield as a senior at New Hope High, batted .372 with a .402 on-base and a .488 slugging percentages to help lead the Lady Trojans to the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A North State championship series. She also played an integral role in the New Hope’s run to five consecutive slow-pitch state titles.
McCrary said she will walk on to the team in the fall, and that she was told she could get a chance to earn a scholarship at the end of the semester.
“She comes from a powerhouse program in New Hope,” Kirk said. “Coach (Tabitha) Beard does an outstanding job preparing her players to be successful and we excited to have a player of her caliber joining our program. She will add some much needed depth to our outfield.”
Earlier this year, McCray expressed disappointment that she hadn’t received an offer to play softball in college. She initially considered EMCC and thought she was going to get an offer to play there, but a coaching change — Kate Neely resigned as coach — and her uncertainty left her waiting and without an offer.
All it took was a few visits to ICC to convince her that was the place for her. She felt she did pretty well at a tryout last month and then was excited when she received a phone call from the ICC coaches in which she was asked to decide if she wanted to go to Fulton.
Up until that point, McCrary still wasn’t sure what was going to happen, or what she was going to do.
“I wasn’t quite sure if they were going to make an offer,” McCrary said. “I was debating whether I was going to do it and my mom said you never know until you give it a chance. When I did it turned out to be a whole new me for softball.”
McCrary said he has matured and has come to appreciate how much she enjoys playing softball. She is looking at the chance to play at ICC as a fresh start and an opportunity for a “brand new me” to prove she can play at the next level.
McCrary will join former New Hope High teammate Anna Holley, who played catcher for the Lady Indians this past season.
Also joining McCrary and Holley will be Jordan, a standout pitcher for the Hamilton Lady Lions. Jordan batted .348 with a .420 on-base and a .427 slugging percentages to help lead Hamilton to the MHSAA Class 2A North State semifinals last season.
“Jordan has been in a tremendous slow and fast pitch programs at Hamilton,” Kirk said. “She has a lot playoff experience and will be able play a lot of positions for us. We are extremely to add a player like her to our roster next season.”
Cox had a 3.51 ERA with 22 strikeouts and hit .238 with three doubles and one home run as a freshman.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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