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04/16/2014 12:00 AMMcKenzie Miessau has been a staple in left field for the East Haven softball team the past few seasons, but she is very excited about moving back to her natural position of catcher for her senior year.
"I'm the starting catcher my senior year and I'm really happy and glad I get to do that," says McKenzie, who was named a captain this season.
McKenzie made the move to the outfield in middle school because of a plethora of other players trying out to play both catcher and shortstop. She knew that moving away from catcher would help get her bat into the lineup.
"I was so impressed with her arm so I went to her and said 'Obviously, to get playing time with [Brianna] Spadacenta here, I'd like to move you to the outfield,'" says Head Coach Ed Crisafi. "She wanted to play so she said 'Yeah coach, sure.' Being a natural athlete, she handled it well. Moving back to catcher, she's just as good defensively as Spadacenta was and her arm is just as good so we haven't lost a beat behind the plate."
As a left fielder last year, McKenzie batted .344. She does most of her damage at the dish on pitches over the outer half of the plate due to swinging a longer bat. With the move to catcher, however, she's ready to shine on defense, as well.
"If I make a good play, they always say that I'm like a cat and that's kind of what's stuck if I make a good play," says McKenzie. "'She's like a cat back there' is what they always say."
McKenzie says that softball is the biggest part of her life, but when she was around 10 or 11 years old, she almost walked away from the game due to pressure from her father.
"There was a point in my career where I felt like I didn't want to play softball anymore because my dad was pushing me too hard," says McKenzie. "I went through a stage where I felt that softball just wasn't for me. I felt like I was being pressured by my dad to play and I wasn't making the decisions; my dad was. I feel like that has changed so much and I'm glad that my dad pushed me back into it and I'm glad that I never stopped. I would've regretted it."
McKenzie vividly remembers that while contemplating leaving the game, her teammates were a driving force for her to stick with it.
"I can't quit," says McKenzie, whose skills have led her to being actively recruited by Division I school Sacred Heart, as well as Division III's Alvernia College. "Not only am I a big part of this team, but I'd be giving up on my teammates and myself. That's just something that kept me playing."
McKenzie was also the captain for the East Haven volleyball team this fall and led the squad with 96 kills.
"I feel like this year, with all my practice last year and in the preseason, I was able to step up," says McKenzie, who also had 100 digs and 26 aces. "I liked getting set more this year. It was a change because last year I had always called for the ball and didn't get anything, but this year I called for the ball and I knew that Talia Loda was going to set it to me whenever I was ready."