Meagan Denny White, a 26-year-old right-hander from Crowley, Texas and the University of Texas Longhorns, officially signed with the Chicago Bandits Jan. 9. The Chicago Bandits Examiner caught up with her in mid-January for the following Q&A session.
How long have you been playing softball?
Since I was nine. My neighbor needed someone to play on her team. I was a big girl – about 5’7” or 5’8” – and was a pretty good hitter right from the beginning.
Why did softball make such an impact on you?
Softball saved my life. When I was younger, I had dyslexia. I hated school. I hated myself. I had no friends. I stuttered really bad. I felt so alone in the world.
When I started playing softball, I started feeling good about who I was. I started creating goals for myself. I started getting more sociable, too.
Softball did that for me. It brought me out of the black hole I was in, and I felt I was finally alive.
Why pitching?
Because I was big, I could throw really hard, probably in the high 50s [mph] at 10 years old.
Your bread-and-butter pitch?
Rise ball. I think with the velocity I have, the rise ball tends to work a little better. And I’ve learned to stair-step it at different levels so I can throw it at different counts.
What’s the fastest you’ve been clocked during a game?
74 [mph].
Have you ever played on a team with any of the Bandits?
Yes, I was honored to play with Monica Abbott on the U.S. junior national team in 2003. We went to Nanjing, China for the [junior] world championship.
What attributes can you bring to a championship team?
Monica[‘s pitching] is hard and down, and I think with [my rise ball] being hard and up, we can really throw the hitters off.
What do you do the rest of the year?
I coach at Southwest Christian School. It’s [given] me have a better understanding of the game. I think it’s made me a better pitcher, too.
You joined the PFX Tour after college rather than the NPF. Why?
The [NPF] Akron Racers called me to play. But I had gotten engaged right after I graduated. I felt that moving to Ohio for three months wouldn’t be fair to [my husband-to-be Cliff]. With PFX I could live at home and travel to tour stops on weekends. So I joined PFX.
If not for softball, what would you do for a living?
I gave a motivational speech at every tour stop while playing on the PFX Tour. I’d like to do [more of] that after I retire.
Any first-year goals with the Bandits?
To represent them with sportsmanship, passion and respect. Like Jennie Finch. She did so much good for this program. I want to make her proud by doing the same.
And of course, I want to keep that championship trophy in Chicago.
Do you have a signature song?
I guess it would be “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC.
What else should Bandits fans know about you?
That I love them already. Tell them to be ready to get a big Texas-sized bear hug when I get there.
Hobbies?
I enjoy cooking. My specialty is a Reese’s Cake. I use two ginormous bags of Reese’s [Pieces]. They’re baked inside the cake, and I stick them all over on top and around it. The icing is made from heavy cream, dark chocolate chips, and peanut butter. It is diabetes waiting to happen. But I only make it and eat it once a year, so it’s OK.
One word or phrase that best describes you:
Blessed.
Comments