Former Normal Community HS softball star, Mack Leonard, shining for FSU Seminoles
NORMAL, Ill. — Mack Leonard can remember back to her first year playing organized softball. She was 10 years old playing in the In-Town division of the Bloomington Normal Girls Softball Association.
“I was a pitcher and walked 10 batters in a row,” Mack says. “I had a total meltdown on the field and wanted to go home.”
Now, she never wants it end.
Mack, short for Mackenzie, has blossomed from that 10-year-old to a star on the national softball scene as one of the leading hitters for the Florida State Seminoles. Her path carried her through an all-state career at Normal Community High School to two years at Illinois State where she was a first-team all-Missouri Valley Conference performer.
Mack made the decision to enter the NCAA transfer portal after two impressive summers in the Florida Gulf Coast League, playing with and against some of the top Division I talent in the country.
“Covid changed everything,” Mack says. “I knew I was going to get an extra year of eligibility even after my junior season at ISU. I began to realize I had the potential to play with the girls I see on TV. I felt I owed it to myself to at least try. I was willing to bet on myself.”
The NCAA transfer portal allows athletes to switch schools one time and be eligible to play immediately. Previously, athletes had to get permission from their current school and then sit out a year as a penalty for transferring.
Mack got immediate responses from Texas A&M, Kentucky, Missouri, Michigan and 2018 national champion Florida State among the 50-plus programs expressing interest in the 5-foot-11 slugger.
After a couple of weeks of weighing her options, Mack landed on Florida State to complete her final two seasons of eligibility.
And two shots at winning a national title.
“No disrespect to any of the other programs,” she says, “but when I got here, you could feel that championship mindset and it felt like home.”
Mack has made an immediate impact. Inserted into the third spot in the batting order from the start of the season, Mack finished the month of February with a .463 batting average, three home runs and 12 runs batted in as the Seminoles went 15-0 and climbed to No. 3 in the national polls. The early season run included a thrilling 4-3 extra-inning win over UCLA on national television.
Overcoming adversity
Mack made the decision early in her high school career to commit to Illinois State. It was the logical choice as both her parents are ISU graduates and former athletes. Her mother, Lana, pitched for the softball team; her late father, Ken, competed in track and field.
Mack, a natural right-handed hitter who switched and learned to hit left-handed at age 12, posted a .425 batting average and an 11-4 record in the pitching circle to lead the Redbirds to a Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship.
“I committed to ISU when I was 15 years old,” Mack says. “I didn’t really enjoy the recruiting process, but I knew I wanted to play softball in college. What I didn’t know is all the things that would happen my junior year in high school.”
That was the year her dad died suddenly of cardiac arrest at the age of 45. Mack says the combination of working through her dad’s passing, believing she had the ability to compete at the national level and being ready for a fresh start contributed to the decision to transfer.
“I still completely loved my team at ISU,” Mack says. “I was just ready to take that jump.”
Coming up through the ranks
Mack grew up playing in the BNGSA, an organization that has served the Bloomington-Normal and surrounding communities since 1978. She played her entire travel career with the BNGSA Avanti’s Angels, coached by Steve Hassel.
Mack says her favorite softball memories — so far — were made while playing for the Angels as they won back-to-back USA Softball Northern Nationals at 16-under and 18-under.
“When I think about the coaching, the atmosphere, the girls and their families, I don’t think I could have been on a better team,” Mack says.
Just like the one she’s found in Tallahassee, Fla.
“Everybody here is all about winning,” Mack says. “That’s all we focus on. It feels like we have a chance to be the last team standing in Oklahoma City in June.”
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.
