Introducing our WXXV Student Athlete of the Week, Ocean Springs’ Gracie McDonald!

Don’t blink or you might miss her! Our recipient this week has wheels for feet when it comes to protecting the Greyhound outfield and exploding out of the batters box after making contact, but her best quality on and off the field is the way she leads. Introducing our WXXV Student Athlete of the Week, Ocean Springs’ very own Gracie McDonald!

“I’ve probably been playing softball since I was around four or five years old, ” senior Gracie McDonald said. “Ever since I could muscle up a bat and swing off the tee, my parents had me playing softball games and practicing, so I’ve been doing it probably as early as I could be.”

If you see her on the diamond, that experience is beyond evident! Gracie McDonald is a devoted senior at Ocean Springs high school playing center field and leading off for the Greyhounds. Taking control of the outfield and setting the tone for the defense every game isn’t an easy task, but McDonald wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I think of it as I’m doing it for my team, so that’s why I always try to have a team first mentality, not a me first mentality so when I ever do feel overwhelmed with the position I’m in, I just think to myself that I’m not doing this for myself, I’m doing it for my team and I’m doing this for my faith and for God and for the bigger part of the game which is the people that I’m playing for,” said McDonald.

The people she’s playing for have a front row seat to one of the best softball players to ever come through the coast. McDonald currently leads the Ocean Springs program with a .551 batting average, 17 runs, 27 hits, and five triples. Ironically, McDonald would be the last person to tell you her current stat line and instead she’ll brag on her team and say she’s just living the dream.

“I’ve tried other more individual sports and nothing really makes me happier than my team accomplishing a goal and seeing us accomplish a goal together, and it’s really just been my dream since I was little,” McDonald said. “I’ve always loved softball, not just playing softball but watching softball and growing up watching all these collegiate softball players and even pro softball players now fulfilling their dreams and that’s always been my dream too.”

Once her time representing the Greyhounds comes to an end, she will be one step closer to accomplishing her dreams. Just last month, McDonald officially signed to continue her softball career at the University of South Alabama.

“It makes me feel like all the hard work, extra practices, last nights coming in here and putting in the extra work, tournaments on the weekends when maybe some of my friends are not traveling the same distances that I am and doing the same things. It just makes it all feel super super worth it. It makes it feel like all the passion and everything I’ve put into this feels worth it and it just feels so special to me,” McDonald said with a smile.

Congratulations Gracie, and we look forward to witnessing all the incredible things you’ll do in the years to come!