Lake fast-pitch softball coach Zach Hanna said he isn’t surprised to see Abby McGee sign to play at the next level.
McGee recently signed to play at Holmes Community College, where she will play catcher for coach Trae Embry and the Lady Bulldogs.
“She is just an all-around great player,” Hanna said. “She is a great catcher and helps the pitcher. It’s hard to run on her and she has a great arm. She has batted third or fourth for us the last couple of years. She is an all-around great player and comes up clutch in big situations. The situation is never too big for here.”
McGee came to Lake as a freshman and has started at catcher ever since. As a sophomore, McGee helped the Lady Hornets to the Class 2A championship where she batted .419 with 10 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 31 RBIs. Last year, McGee hit .361 with 11 doubles, two home runs and 31 RBIs.
“In my opinion, her hard work and determination set her apart,” Hanna said. “She works her tail off in the weight room. It’s a grind to go lift every day and she is always asking what she can do to get better. She is willing to learn and do what she can do to master her craft. She is a good leader as well and the young kids look up to her.”
While the Lady Hornets have been really good on the mound with Taylor Duncan and Kate Gladney the last two years, Hanna said McGee has been a big part of that. Last year, McGee had a .992 field percentage after posting a .982 percentage as a sophomore.
“She definitely makes the pitching staff better,” Hanna said. “We have been really good on the mound with Taylor and Kate. We were lucky to have them and Abby makes them better. She is really good at framing pitches and stealing some strikes. And she has a great arm. Not many people are going to test her arm. There aren’t many teams who are going to test her. She’s good enough to play other positions but she helps us so much behind the plate, it’s hard to take her out from there.”
