For years now, Tom Bean has had tremendous success in softball. Obviously, this is a result of an overall team effort, good coaching, and a lot of community support. However, it doesn’t hurt when you have an ace on the mound performing consistently well in each and every game of the season.

Senior Megan Mitchell has become the face of Tom Bean softball over the past four years, and her departure this summer will surely be a sad day. Mitchell is always able to provide fans with some incredible stories to go home with, but if you have ever had the chance to talk with this young superstar, you wouldn’t be able to tell she was an all-star pitcher with countless achievements. Megan is as humble as they come, but she takes no prisoners when on the mound.

AT: How many years have you been pitching?

 

Megan: I’ve been pitching for about 8 and a half years. Before that, I was a catcher and I did both for about a year and a half and then I decided to stick with pitching.

 

AT: What made you stick with pitching rather than catching?

 

Megan: I just liked it better. Originally, I absolutely hated pitching. I never wanted to do it, and my dad was like ‘Hey, why don’t you try a pitching lesson?’ He talked me into one, and I decided I was never doing that again. I hated it. Then, he talked me into another and next thing you know I am going once a week. So, it grew on me.

 

AT: Pitching is obviously something you were born to do, but all great athletes need some form of help, whether it is a coach or mentor, etc. Who do you credit for your success?

 

Megan: Overall, I credit everything to God, because he gave me everything I have. Second, I guess I would have to say my dad. Without him, there’s no way I would even be here. I would not be throwing as well as I am. He taught me all the techniques. Then, I would say my two pitching coaches. The first one I had when I first started out pitching, when I was nine. His name is Noble Hansard, he was out in Pilot Point, and he initially taught me how to do everything, and my dad took me from there. Then, I guess in about 8^th Grade, I stated going to Bobby Rexrode up in Sherman. He kind of corrected those little flaws I had. But, most of it was my dad.

 

AT: One factor that always seems to play a role in young athletes is the tremendous support they receive from their family that usually translates into outstanding performances. Is this the same with you and your family?

 

Megan: Oh yeah, I would have never gotten into this if it wasn’t for them, and I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing. Without their motivation and drive, I wouldn’t have even played this year, especially after 15 months of pain with the injury. After that, I really just wanted to quit.

 

AT: You have encountered two types of softball. One is the down-home, make shift diamond, small-town Texas style where there’s a good chance you can put a name with each face in the crowd. The other is the green-grass, spiffy looking, hard-core world of select or tournament team softball. In your opinion, which is better?

 

Megan: Honestly, I can’t pick, because they each have their perks and their downfalls. The softball tournaments, most of their fields are just city fields that are horrible. They’re just something to play on, and it doesn’t matter because you’re out there having fun. Showcases, you’ll play on fields that don’t have fence lines or even baseball fields, but it doesn’t matter because you’re there for the experience and the coaches. Now, if you go up to Oklahoma City where they have the College World Series, that’s where you have your nice, what you would expect field.

 

High school is a totally different experience. There’s tradition there, there’s routines; it’s nice. I think there’s more competitiveness, because there’s a goal to make playoffs and go to state.

 

AT: Two of your teammates are making headlines for getting scholarships to play in college, and even you will have the privilege of playing at the next level at Texarkana. How does it feel knowing, not only that you will be playing college ball, but also two more from your team will be making this enormous leap?

 

Megan: It’s good to know that I actually made it. I initially wanted to go to a four-year university, but I had some set-backs and some extra-ribs and stuff. Then, in January, they called me out, and without even seeing me play, ever, they said ‘Hey, we want to give you a full-ride scholarship’, and I was just like ‘Whoa, okay’. I am still going to play this summer and try to get into one of the schools that have my major, but it’s nice, especially knowing that they didn’t come and watch me pitch until the second half of district this year. So, for them to go just by my stats and what other people say about me is good to know. I am really excited.

 

I think that Lindsey and Leslie going to play will let people know that our school has something and we’re not just goofing around. I am proud of them and glad they’re getting to do that, especially Leslie after coming off of knee surgery.

 

AT: Softball is certainly a thinking game (especially when trying to navigate through all of the stats and numbers). How do you explain the mental side of the sport from a pitchers perspective?

 

 

Megan: The mental game is huge in softball. It’s crazy! I find myself out on the mound thinking ‘Okay, I’ve got to do this’ and ‘this has got to go here’ and ‘what if this goes here’, or ‘what’s the batter going to do if I throw them this, where are they going to hit it’ and there are just all these different things. You have to just step off the mound, take a deep breath, and not even worry about it. If you get on the mound and you are thinking about all of that, there’s no telling where you’re going to throw the ball or what’s going to happen.

 

 

AT: So, the best way to beat the mental game is to not think about it?

 

Megan: Right, exactly. You can think about that stuff, but as soon as the play starts, just don’t even worry about it. Who cares? Just play your game. I was never good at that until between 8^th grade and freshman year. Bobby Rex Rhodes, if he taught me anything, it was the mental side of the game. I will give him that credit.

 

AT: You are not only a go-getter on the softball diamond, but also in school. Every time we turn around, you are busy doing something else (FCCLA, NHS, etc.), and your achievements are almost too high to count. What drives you to work so hard on and off of the field?

 

Megan: I think family, first and foremost. Having two older sisters, my parents would say ‘Okay, do this like she did and don’t do that like she did’. You’ve got to kind of meet their expectations, and ultimately they want the best for you. I have learned what I want and what I think is the best for me, and if I can succeed in everything I do here, I am going to be okay in life. Then, when I have my own family I can take care of them. When I see somebody do something really good, I am like ‘Cool, I want to be like that’. So, they kind of give you that drive and that incentive to do better in everything that you do.

 

AT: Graduating will obviously be hard, but it seems the hardest hit by your departure will be the softball program. How do you feel about the group of girls below you that will be faced with the task of continuing this long run of excellence?

 

Megan: I sure hope so, that’d be nice. I know Rachel Jones, an eighth grader that’s coming up, and she’s been working real hard in doing her pitching. She’ll come and practice with us on occasion and it gives us something new to look at. I think if they keep the traditions that we have and are coached well like we have been the last two years and they work hard, then they can do it.

 

AT: What will you miss the most about growing up in Tom Bean and the place where you made a name for yourself as a pitcher?

 

Megan: I am going to miss the tradition, because with softball everybody knows this and expects playoffs, and with that comes the pep rallies and everyone gets pumped and fired up for us. I am going to miss it a lot. I mean, I am glad to be graduating, but I think once I do I’ll realize what I am leaving. I’ll miss the people, especially teachers. In the elementary, middle school, all the teachers we’ve grown up with and have known you since you were little and know your siblings; its going to be tough. Graduation is going to be a tough day.

 

So, after battling through her senior year with surgery and the fact she had one last chance to impress, our Megan will move on. Texarkana College will be the lucky recipient of this star pitcher next semester, and with that will come the Tomcat tradition of hard work and determination.

 

Of course, Mitchell will be sorely missed by the town of Tom Bean, but they will be glad to know their home-town star’s talent will not be wasted.