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McKay Hit Parade Not Slowing Down for ULM

McKay Hit Parade Not Slowing Down for ULM

Softball Feb 20
By Paul Letlow, ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist
 
MONROE, La. – She led the Sun Belt in hits last season but that might have just been a launching point for ULM outfielder Sydney McKay.

After collecting 83 hits during a breakout sophomore season, McKay has come back swinging an even more potent bat through the first eight games of her 2018 campaign.

"My goal was to not be satisfied with last year," McKay said. "I just want to have a better year. I want each year to be better than my last."
 
So far McKay is hitting .533 with 16 hits in 30 at-bats. Hitting leadoff for the Warhawks, McKay has scored eight runs, driven in 10 and nabbed five stolen bases in five tries. She was recognized as Sun Belt Player of the Week for her fast start.

"A lot of it is instinct," said McKay, who batted .382 with 44 steals as a sophomore. "But you work off your instinct. It's a lot of work outside of practice. It is many hours off the field, away from the team. You work one-on-one with coaches and on your own. The coaches here have really helped me develop my game beyond the level I knew was possible."

ULM coach Corey Lyon is rarely surprised by the junior's hitting prowess.

"She's one of those players who could be a conference player of the year," Lyon said. "She's got All-American talent in my opinion."

McKay sizes up the defense every plate appearance and finds the holes.

"She's just so dynamic," Lyon said. "She can bunt and play the short game She's an incredible slapper who can drop it in. The outfield has to respect her because she can swing away and hit for power. She truly is very dynamic."

A product of Pearland, Texas, McKay has started every game of her career since arriving as a freshman. She was originally committed to Lyon when he was head coach at Southern Arkansas but signed with ULM when he accepted the job in Monroe.

"When he recruited me, he was the only coach that I felt like really cared," McKay said. "I wasn't just an athlete he was trying to get. He cared about me as a person. I honestly felt like I was going to be taken care of."

ULM is 4-4 so far in 2018, including games against ranked opponents LSU and Arizona.
Against LSU ace Carley Hoover, McKay went 1-for-2 with a walk and her only strikeout so far.
 
"She was one of the best pitchers I or we have ever seen," she said.

Hitting first in the order allows McKay to set the table for the entire lineup. She has a plan for every at-bat.

"My job is to get on base," she said. "I try to see as many pitches as I can, so everybody in the lineup can get a feel for what she's throwing. I know if I can see a lot of pitches, they can have something to work off of."

With star power like McKay in the lineup, there's a sense around the program that even bigger things are coming for ULM softball.

"Coach Lyon has really brought a winning culture," McKay said. "He's made that the norm. He's taught us what it's like to win, how to win and how to stay hungry."

Lyon appreciates what McKay brings to the program too.

"When she's locked in," Lyon said, "she's pretty special."

 
 
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