McConnell enjoying final season of softball at Carmichaels
Anybody that has seen Carys McConnell play for Carmichaels the last four years knows she has the talent to succeed at the college level.
She’s a multi-time All-State selection and the anchor of the Mikes lineup, as well as an athletic defender at shortstop.
“It’s unreal what she can do on the softball field,” Mikes coach Dave Briggs said.
But McConnell came to a crossroads last year and chose to focus solely on her education.
She’s going to Pitt to enter a Pre Law program and will hang up her cleats at the end of this season.
That means this is her final year playing organized softball and she hopes to go out on a high note with the Mikes.
“I kept going back and forth the last three years, because I really like playing softball,” McConnell said of her decision. “I did feel like I was drained out a lot, because that’s all I’ve done is play softball since I was young.”
Carmichaels has made the WPIAL finals each of the last three years and McConnell wants to help get the team over the hump and win a district title.
She showed her ability to impact a game last Friday at West Greene.
McConnell had the go-ahead RBI single in the fifth inning and blasted a solo homer over the left field fence at Center Township Park Field in a 3-1 win over the Pioneers. The win kept Carmichaels in first place in the Class A Section 2 standings.
Hitting home runs is fun, but McConnell also has a love for the law. She hopes to be a divorce mediator once she graduates from law school.
That’ll start at Pitt. Once she was accepted, she knew it was her best option.
“When I toured Pitt, I knew I wanted to go there, because I want to go into law,” McConnell said. “I got into Pitt and at that point I knew I had to go. I enjoyed the campus. I fell in love with it.”
Mikes starting pitcher Bailey Barnyak was appreciative of the run support McConnell provides and having her defense at shortstop behind her.
“Anytime a ball is hit her way, I take my mask off and start walking off the field,” Barnyak said. “I know she’s going to make the play every time.”
Barnyak and McConnell are good friends and have been ever since they started playing together.
“I didn’t start playing softball until I was in seventh grade and I have played with her the whole time,” Barnyak said. She definitely took me in and made it fun.”
Briggs said selfishly he wishes he could go see McConnell play in college in the future, but understands her decision.
“I wish her nothing but the best,” Briggs said. She has to do what’s best for her. School and softball together can be tough sometimes. It’s a lot of time, but I love what she does for our team.”
McConnell said it hasn’t really hit her yet that this is her final season playing softball. She’s too focused on the next game in front of her to look that far down the path.
The Mikes hope it’s a long path. One that leads first to California for another crack at a WPIAL title and then maybe even up to State College for a PIAA championship.
Wherever it goes, McConnell will be giving everything she has to try and get that elusive gold medal.
“It’s very important,” McConnell said. “I feel like it hasn’t set in yet, because I’m just playing for fun right now, but I know I’m going to be so upset when it’s over. It does mean a lot. I want to win everything now, because it’s my last year.”