Ohio State then-freshman third baseman Megan McMenemy (25) fires the ball to first base during the Ohio State-Wright State game on Sep. 24, 2017. Credit: Gretchen Rudolph | Lantern File Photo
As Megan McMenemy ran up the final two steps in the C deck of Ohio Stadium as the Ohio State softball team made its traditional gauntlet run by touching every stair in the ’Shoe, she gazed at the view.
Minutes away from 7 a.m., McMenemy saw the sunrise over the city she called home her entire life. The senior infielder said the gauntlet run is one of her favorite memories each season as she competes nearly in her backyard as a member of the Buckeyes.
“We get up at 6 a.m. before the sun’s rising and while we’re on the C deck — which is so steep, if you’re not holding the railing when you’re going down the stairs, you get a little dizzy — you see the sun rising,” McMenemy said. “It’s been something that I always look forward to because it’s a team exercise and we really bond over pushing through and getting through. Once you’re done, you’re just like, ‘Man, I just did that.’”
Entering Ohio State on the heels of back-to-back first team All-Ohio recognitions in high school and an Ohio Capital Conference Player of the Year, McMenemy said she had always wanted to represent her city and state in front of her friends on the softball field just down the road from where she grew up.
“It was one of my dreams to play here growing up,” McMenemy said. “It’s been an incredible experience. Putting that Buckeye jersey on was something I always dreamed of doing going through my travel ball. It’s been a dream come true.”
An infielder by trade, McMenemy brought versatility in her ability to play shortstop and second or third base. She also swung a dangerous bat, setting her high school program’s records for hits, home runs, RBIs, runs and stolen bases.
Amid all the quantifiable production, though, McMenemy brought much more than numbers.
Westerville Central and McMenemy’s high school softball head coach Brian Wamsley, who watched McMenemy play since she was in seventh grade, said she played with a natural ability that gave her a leg up on competition, from stealing bases to reading the spin off a batted ball.
“I think the way she carried herself on and off the field was the best thing about her,” Wamsley said. “I saw early on in her sophomore year that she was just a natural leader. She became almost like a coach on the field, which is great leadership.”
Wamsley — who also coached McMenemy’s three sisters and current Buckeyes freshman right-hander Emily Ruck — said it’s good to see McMenemy live out her dream at Ohio State, as it allows younger kids in high school programs to believe they can follow her footsteps.
McMenemy’s demeanor and love for the game of softball has shown among her teammates young and old. Senior infielder Niki Carver, who is roommates with McMenemy, added that her teammate is someone who takes any assignment and vigorously goes after it.
“Megan’s always a very positive person,” Carver said. “She’s extremely proud of herself and coming to Ohio State. There’s never a negative word that comes out of her mouth. She’s a worker; she might not be the loudest, but her actions show on the field.”
Head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly praised McMenemy’s softball IQ, something the ninth-year skipper said could lead her player to her own coaching career.
“She knows the game really well,” Schoenly said. “She’s been a great mentor for her other infielders, young kids. I think she’s a great teammate the way she carries herself. She’s all business, it’s fun, but it’s business.”
In wake of the 2020 season’s cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, McMenemy played just nine games a year ago, driving in a run and working three walks. She’s played in four of Ohio State’s first 12 games this year, collecting a hit and RBI in addition to swiping a base.
As the 2021 season marks her potential final season in a softball uniform, McMenemy said she has to give everything she has to those who look up to softball players, just as she was growing up.
“Not having that season last year really showed that it’s not guaranteed,” McMenemy said. “It’s one of those things we’re focused on leaving it all on the field this year and focusing on ‘Hey, tomorrow’s not guaranteed, so let’s give it all we have.”
