GREENVILLE – Greenville senior Makayla Hanes committed to play college softball for Mount St. Joseph University following the Lady Wave’s victory against Beavercreek on Wednesday.
Hanes, the daughter of Darren and Christina Hanes, said she already feels like a part of the team at Mount St. Joseph, which competes in NCAA Division III.
“I went to a bunch of different colleges, and they made me feel the most at home,” Hanes said of her choice to attend the university in Cincinnati. “We had actually a girl from Arcanum (Erija Nealeigh) that gave us our tour, and the coaches took me in as one of their kids so I really like it there. And it’s really small; I didn’t like big schools.”
Hanes is a four-year varsity player for Greenville and starts at third base for the Lady Wave. The Greater Western Ohio Conference recognized her as either special mention or second team all-GWOC North in each of her first three years of high school softball.
“To come through the program and play for four years and put up with my crap and be tough enough to do it for four years it’s great,” Greenville softball coach Jerrod Newland said. “Great family. Great kid. It’s special for her, special for the program.”
During her junior season Hanes hit .347 and had an on-base percentage of .443. In 98 at-bats she had seven doubles, four triples and 26 RBI.
Through four games this season she’s hitting .333 and has an on-base percentage of .538. She has two doubles so far this year.
“She’s going to hit the ball,” Newland said of Hanes’ potential at the college level. “The fun thing with Hanes is she can play a lot of spots, but you know the thing is she’s going to go up there and hit the ball.”
Hanes, who plans to study criminology in college, hopes to contend for a starting spot right away for Mount St. Joseph.
“I want to get a good education and play college ball,” she said. “It’s been my dream since I’ve been 8 years old. I’m finally accomplishing it.”
So far this season Mount St. Joseph is 8-7. Last year the Lions were 15-22-1
Hanes has matured a lot recently, Newland said, and has become a great leader for the Lady Wave softball program.
“She’s grown as a person the last couple years,” he said. “There’s many ways to lead, but here in the last few months she’s really become a vocal leader to the young kids and taken some kids under her wing where not all 17-, 18-year-old kids want to do that. It’s a weird society we live in today, but a lot of 17-, 18-year-old kids worry about themselves. Makayla, she’s taken two or three young kids under her wing and making them just feel a part of it and be a part of it and making them better. It’s funny, when you see that out of your kids, that’s when you know you’ve done the right job. She’s just grown up so much as a person and as a player.”
