Former Hackett softball standout holder of several state records

One day after her high school career ended in a hard-luck defeat, Makenzie Freeman was right back in the circle, doing what she loves. She didn’t want to dwell on losing her final high school game.

The now-graduated Hackett pitcher went straight from Conway – where her Lady Hornet squad lost a tough 1-0 decision to Riverside in the Class 2A state title game – to St. Louis, playing with her travel ball squad, Epic National. And won that next game, pitching the whole way.

“I just knew that I had to forget about the state game; I mean, it wasn’t what we wanted to happen, but I just have to move on and just keep playing,” Freeman said. “I feel like just going out there and winning a game was probably good, rather than, you know, waiting a week before playing again. So, yes, in a way (it was therapeutic).”

But aside from the last game – though she did give up just two hits and struck out 10 – Freeman has great memories from her career playing for Hackett. She leaves the program with 102 career wins – an Arkansas Activities Association record – and 1,012 career strikeouts, the only softball athlete in state history to win 100 career games and strike out 1,000 batters. Freeman also holds the state record in career shutouts with 57 and innings pitched (665 1/3 innings), and is second all-time in career no-hitters (16) and perfect games (8).

Plus, Freeman does have a championship ring in her possession, having led Hackett to the 3A title her junior season.

“My team was so great every single year, and I just had so much fun every single year, and each year I had mainly the same teammates,” Freeman said. “You know, it was just such a fun four years, and Coach (Jeff) Oxford was a great coach for us. And, yeah, it was just really fun just looking back on it all and remembering everything that we did.”

Freeman was just as powerful at the plate. She finished with a career average of .517, eighth-all time in the state, along with 192 total hits (fourth all-time) and 177 RBIs (fifth all-time).

Of all those accolades, Freeman savors the 100-plus career wins the most.

“That’s like such a big team thing to me. … That’s like the team all four years, you know, each different players,” she said. “I think that’s really cool; that was, like, a team award that we got.”

Even armed with a state title, Freeman didn’t want to settle going into her senior year, still working on refining her game. She feels like she did just that. Despite Hackett missing out on its repeat bid on May 24, Freeman still believed the season was quite successful.

“I think we had a great season,” Freeman said. “I mean, we played a bunch of big schools this year, like 4A and 5A schools, and we beat a lot of them, so I think we just had a great season this year.”

Freeman did win a title as a senior in another sport – volleyball, having helped the Lady Hornets to do that last fall under her coach – and her mother – Bridget Freeman.

So, what title did Makenzie Freeman savor the most?

“I think probably softball meant a little bit more just because it was the first one Hackett’s ever had, like in volleyball, my older sister (Madeline) won state a couple of years; so I think it’s cool to be the first one to be able to do it for softball.”

Makenzie Freeman also enjoyed getting to play with her younger sister Michaelyn in softball and volleyball. Now, Makenzie gets set to take her game to the next level, having signed to play softball at the University of Tulsa, and thinks she can make an immediate impact.

“I think just really, just be ready to come in and pitch, and be ready to go,” she said.