Maggie McKenzie has had a dominant career as a pitcher on the Richmond Senior softball team. She hopes to continue that success at the next level.

McKenzie on Friday signed a letter of intent to play softball for the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Her signing came one day after Ricky Holden of the Richmond baseball team inked with UNCW.

McKenzie made her decision to go to UNCW on Sept. 19. McKenzie said she enjoyed visiting the campus and quickly built a good rapport with Seahawks coach Kelly Van Houten.

UNCW struggled last season, finishing with a 13-32 record. However, McKenzie believes the program is heading in the right direction.

“I’m very thankful I can continue my softball career in college, and I just loved everything about the university,” McKenzie said.

“I’ve had a few coaches over my career such as (Raiders softball) Coach (Wendy) Wallace and my travel ball coach Ricky Martinez that I developed good relationships with off the bat. When I met her (Van Houten), we instantly had good chemistry. They had a young team last year, but they’re going to be better this year. Hopefully, when I get there, I can have a positive impact.”

Over her 37-game pitching career, McKenzie has compiled a 26-7 record. McKenzie also has recorded 238 strikeouts, seven no-hitters, 11 shutouts and just 40 walks. She has a minuscule ERA of 0.65.

McKenzie said as a competitor, she is always working on improving her game.

“I’m never satisfied, which keeps me motivated and wanting to get better every year,” she said. “This season, I want to be able to get full command of my pitches and cut out any little mistakes that I’ve made in the past.”

Wallace admitted that McKenzie has made strides over the years with locating her pitches, which will help her be an effective college pitcher.

“One of things that has made Maggie dominate is her velocity,” Wallace said. “But as a college pitcher, you just can’t get by with just throwing the ball hard. Following her injury last season, we worked on hitting spots and getting good movement with the ball. We knew people in our conference knew about her speed, but she improved with her pitch location. This season, the mound is going to be moved to 43 feet from 40. That’s going to be beneficial, because that’s the same distance in college.”

McKenzie has also made an impact at the plate, with a .482 career batting average. She has three home runs, 35 runs batted in, 34 runs scored and only five strikeouts in her career.

“We all know Maggie is a great pitcher, but she has been one of the best hitters I’ve ever coached,” Wallace said. “I think that will continue over in college along as she continue to work hard, which I expect she will.”

McKenzie had her sophomore season cut short due to a late season-ending knee injury. McKenzie returned strong last season as a junior to help guide the Lady Raiders to a 17-6 record.

She helped the team win the Mid-Southeastern Conference in the league’s final year of existence. The Lady Raiders were ousted by New Bern in the second round of the 4AA state playoffs.

McKenzie said her knee is 100 percent and is hoping her senior season will end with a deeper run in the postseason.

Wallace is pleased that McKenzie can just concentrate on softball.

“Now that Maggie has signed, she doesn’t have to worry about the added stress of trying to figure out her future,” Wallace said. “I think that should make the season more enjoyable for her.”

n Contact sports reporter Corey Davis at 997-3111, ext. 44; e-mail cdavis@yourdailyjournal.com