Alabama Softball Newcomer Q&A: Mary Greg Anderson
2/4/2020 3:53:00 PM | Softball
Heading into the 2020 season, we will be posting Q&A's with each of the six newcomers on this year's Alabama softball team. The sixth Q&A is with freshman outfielder Mary Greg Anderson, from Athens, Ala., who joined the team as a walk-on heading into the spring semester.
When did you get your start playing softball?
"The younger sister of the girl that babysat me played softball and I looked up to her because she was older than me. I went to my preschool graduation and I said when I grow up, I want to play softball. I pretty much started playing right after that."
Did you play any other sports?
"I did dance and played soccer because I didn't really like to dance. Then I did softball because I didn't like soccer that much. Softball was my favorite. I started in 6U. It was my first year playing and went right into all-stars that summer. I went right into travel ball. We weren't very good at first, but we eventually were pretty good. Probably since I was eight years old, I wanted to play college softball somewhere at an SEC school for sure."
Did you grow up an Alabama fan?
"I grew up a huge Alabama fan. I wrote a paper in the third grade that said I was going to come here and play softball. I actually wanted to be the first female football coach when I was younger. I always said I would take over Nick Saban's job when he was finished."
Did you ever attend any Alabama softball games growing up?
"I had friends who lived down here who came a lot. I would come spend a weekend with them and come watch a game."
During your recruiting process, what schools were you looking at?
"I still had a big school in mind, that's where I wanted to play. I was trying to get recruited. I was going to camps but I never came to a camp here. I had some offers, but they were all from smaller schools. I was still set on a big school. I came here hoping for a chance for a walk-on tryout. I was told that there weren't many walk-on tryouts here, so I was kind of worried, but I trusted the process. If it happened, then it was supposed to but if not, then it wasn't meant to be."
When did you hear about the walk-on tryouts in the fall?
"I think I was sitting in a class and my friend who plays softball over in Montgomery sent me a screenshot of the tweet announcing it. When I heard about it, I just knew I was going to do it. I started practicing my butt off. I found out on a Thursday. I think we had a football game that weekend and my parents came. I started practicing on that Sunday."
What was the tryout like?
"I was nervous at first, but I was talking to a few girls so that made it a lot better. It made things a lot more comfortable. Once we got through and warmed up it got me settled. When Coach [Patrick] Murphy started hitting fly balls to us, I started to feel a lot more relaxed.
"That was my first interaction with him. I really liked him. I didn't know a bunch about him, but I came in open-minded. I knew it was going to be hard and I knew they were going to be hard on me, so I didn't expect anything less."
Besides athletic ability, what else did you hope the coaches took away from your tryout?
"Mostly just my effort and my competitiveness. My dad surprised me after the tryout and came and ate dinner with me. I told him that I felt like I did great. I felt like I just put it all on the table and did the best I could, especially for that short of a notice. I could not have been happier with my performance at the tryout for sure."
When did you find out you had made the team?
"It was the Tuesday we got back from Thanksgiving break that I found out about making the team. They originally weren't adding anyone from the tryout, but they told me if something changed, they'd let me know. In my mind I wasn't really expecting anything to change. When I did get the phone call, I didn't know the number. When I answered it he said, 'hey MG this is Coach Murphy.' I was in shock. I was really happy. I called my mom right when I got off the phone because I was going to meet him in his office. My mom didn't believe me. I think everyone was in shock. It's only really just started to set in that I am here, and this is what I'm doing now."
How do you anticipate adjusting to life as a student-athlete after being just a student during the fall?
"I've gone through the first semester of college, so I have a feel for classes and I have a good schedule. That's going to help out with traveling and with the season being so busy. I think time management is going to be something I have to get used to. Last semester I had all of the time in the world, but now I've got so much else to do with softball that I'm going to have to manage my time for schoolwork as well as extra work for softball."
How has the team helped you feel welcome as a mid-year addition?
"They've been really helpful. I had a bunch of the girls text me the day I got cleared. I've been able to ask them questions. I haven't been scared. Over Christmas break I thought I was going to be intimidated, but I felt pretty comfortable at the team meeting in January which was the first time we were all together.
"I just feel so blessed to be here and you really do just have to trust the process. It really worked out and I'm excited. It's been surreal."
What are your goals for the season?
"I think whatever role I'm in, I want to excel at it and be a really good teammate. I'm not that shy, but I'm not the most cheerleader-type person so I think I'm going to have to step out of my shell and try to be that cheerleader. I'm excited."
What advice would you give to someone who wants to play softball in college?
"Work hard and trust the process. That's what all of this is. Trust that it's all going to work out in the end."
