On February 4, Frostburg State University (FSU), ranks 15th in the country for their softball program, gained a new shortstop Bradyn Mackay, a senior at Linganore high school (LHS).
Mackay has been playing softball since she was four or five years old, due to her older sister’s involvement in the sport. Mackay’s current softball coach here at Lignanore High School, Andrea Poffinberger, recalls the first time meeting Mackay was when she was “approximately 6 years old, attending softball camp with her older sisters and cheering us on from the stands at the University of Maryland during the state championship.”
Mackay selected her school due to its approachable softball coach and its welcoming environment.
“[The coach] is very approachable, and she likes to win. The program’s very competitive. They’re ranked 15th in the country, and it just seems like a good environment to be in,” said Mackay.
Mackay explained that she grew up around the coaching field, as well as the physical education field, due to her parents both being physical education teachers.
“I’ve been looking into going into coaching for a little bit until I, like, see what I want to do, like family-wise, but for now I envision myself as a PE teacher at the elementary or high school level,” Mackay said. “I’m majoring in physical education and I’m gonna do a minor in coaching.”
Mackay currently plays as a shortstop for Linganore but has played many other positions in her time on the softball team.
“Defensively, she started out as a much-needed utility player who could basically play anything, even one game behind the plate, [but] she has grown into one of the best shortstops I have ever coached, with consistency being her greatest asset,” Poffinberger said.
Mackay has played on the Linganore’s softball team since she was a freshmen, a travel softball team called the Heartbreakers and Rise Up Softball Academy (a softball club). She currently plays on the team Heartbreakers Gold National.
Additionally, Mackay has played on the varsity softball team at Linganore High School for all four years of her high school career. According to Coach Poffinberger, Mackay’s batting average has increased over her years at Linganore with her freshman year batting average being .377, sophomore year .456 and junior year .550.
On a related note, Melissa Mackay, Mackay’s mother, referenced Mackay’s Gold National travel team, where she was able to hit the game-winning shot to win the game in Regionals as a highlight of her daughter’s athletic career.
Nevertheless, Mackay’s mother has supported Mackay with her love of softball in many ways.
“It was a big commitment for us to have her do that because it was a lot of money, time, travel; going somewhere every weekend [and] lots of hotel stays,” said Mackay. “But we loved it and I wouldn’t change it for her. We’re going to miss it, not being able to do that.”
With sports and school, Mackay has found it useful to use the time-management skills she has learned over the years from her peers, teachers and family.
“For tests, I like to space out my studying and try to study way in advance so I don’t try to cram stuff in at the last second,” said Mackay.
With regard to advice for incoming freshmen who want to join the Lignanore softball team, Mackay advised that “it’s supposed to be a game of failure, and your performance doesn’t make you the person you are. It’s great that we love the sport, but it doesn’t make the person you are. So don’t hang your head about it when you perform bad.”
