SoutheasternOhioPreps.com

Congratulations to Mackenzie Rucker of Fairland High School! She is signing with Rio Grande today!!! Good luck Mackenzie!!! Great Athlete and person!!!

Yes...that's the one!

Great job McKenzie from your family in Wheelersburg

Congrats to this young lady! She deserves to go on to college level, she will be an impact on Rio Grande's team. Great girl, great athlete.

May 13, 2009
RedStorm softball adds Rucker
Rio Grande---The University of Rio Grande softball program is pleased to announce the signing of Mackenzie Rucker of Fairland High School to a national letter of intent to play for the RedStorm beginning in the 2009-10 academic year.

Rucker, a catcher, is a four-year letterwinner for the Lady Dragons. She has made 1st All-Ohio Valley Conference and 1st team All-Southeast District in each of her first three seasons and will likely add a fourth-year at the end of the current season. Rucker served as team captain each of the last two seasons for head coach Glenn Dillon.

Rucker was also very accomplished on the basketball court for the Lady Dragons garnering all-conference honors twice and all-district once.

“I’m really excited (about the signing), it’s something I’ve always wanted to do (play college softball),” Rucker said. “They really focus on education and it seems like a good fit.”

Rio Grande head coach David Pyles is pleased to be signing Rucker. “Mackenzie is a very athletic kid, also a good basketball player on top of being a good softball player. She will come in and probably compete for at least a back-up catcher role and possibly an every other game starting role,” he said. “She’s quicker than you normally think of, when you think of catchers, she can bat from either side of the plate a little bit; has a good arm, she’s also a good student and a good person.”

“It’s a nice signing for us,” Pyles added.

Rucker hasn’t pinpointed a major yet but said that she is looking at the medical field.

Rucker assessed her strengths and also her area of concern when it comes to improvement as she prepares to take step up a level in competition. “I love to run the bases and win,” she said. “I need to work on being stronger behind the plate.”

She is also aware and is comfortable with the smaller class sizes and individual attention she will receive at Rio Grande from an education standpoint. “I know it’s a smaller school and has more one-on-one focus,” Rucker said.

Rucker plans to dedicate herself to the game while playing for Rio Grande. “I want to just work hard on the field and off,” she said.

Mackenzie is the daughter of Jeff and Debbie Rucker of Proctorville.

She joins Newton High School standout Katie Stewart, Katie Fuller of Hamilton High School, Natalie Sargent of Watkins Memorial and Ohio University transfer Jaymie Rector as the current members of 2009-2010 recruiting class.