Northern Star: Ellie Macal

The senior catcher leads the team in home runs with six.

SUPERIOR, Wis.- The competitive nature of sports is an aspect that athletes use as motivation during their careers.

For UWS senior catcher Ellie Macal, that competitive nature helped her fall in love with softball.

“I chose softball because my brother played baseball when I was younger and he was a catcher, and I wanted to be better than him,” said Macal.

That motivation to be better than her brother, has led Macal to an outstanding final season at UWS as she leads the team in home runs with six.

“She has been the person that hits the home runs when we need them. She’s been a person that starts the rallies, that finishes the rallies by clearing the bases. Anything that we really need from her bat wise she’s been able to do,” said head coach Melissa Fracker.

For Macal, being able to think more like a batter, rather than a catcher has helped her build rallies for the Yellowjackets.

“I am a catcher so, I know a lot of pitches, I know what the spin looks like, and I try to anticipate. And the more that I anticipate the less success I see,” said Macal. ” Trying to let my brain not think. See ball hit ball, that’s where I am at.”

When Macal is behind the plate on the defensive side of the ball. Every play moves fast.

“You want to move at a million miles a minute, but you can’t. Cause the faster that you move the more you bobble the ball,” said Macal.

But playing catcher isn’t just a game between you and the pitcher, and for Macal she relies on.

“Trust my dugout, like when I can’t see the runner at first, they all tell me when they’re going, when they’re not going and that kind of makes you calm down a little bit more,” said Macal.

As the Yellowjackets enter the UMAC postseason tournament, the senior will give it her all one last time.

“Nothing’s too big for her. I think that she takes things moment by moment and I think that’s part of being a senior, ” said Fracker. ” She is at practice first, leaves last. Make sure her teammates are good to go and everything’s else.”