METAMORA, Ohio — In the final game of her superb four-year softball career at Evergreen High School, Vikings senior catcher Macy Chamberlin tied and then broke Ohio's all-time record for home runs on Thursday, hitting her 60th and 61st career homers in her team's 6-2 victory over visiting Port Clinton.
“I couldn't have done it without my team,” Chamberlin said. “They have supported me throughout this whole year, through ups and downs, and through the pressure. Without this team, it wouldn't have been possible.
“The only pressure I got was the pressure I gave myself. After games here and there, I would give myself pressure, but would come back the next day relaxed and ready to go.”
Chamberlin, who was named first team All-Ohio the past two seasons, equaled the mark set by Hope Straight of Mount Vernon High School (from 2016-19) with a solo blast to right-center in the first inning against off of Redskins pitcher Ashton Sanchez.
Then — after adding an RBI bloop single in the second inning and flying out to right field in the fourth — the Vikings' right-handed slugger broke the state record with No. 61, a two-out solo shot over the fence in left-center.
“[Port Clinton] called timeout, so I got to go down and talk to Coach Z,” Chamberlin said of her quick chat with Vikings third-year coach Jim Zoltowski the moment before breaking the record. “He kind of relaxed me a little bit and said 'Just keep the same approach.'
“My approach has always been to hit line drives and sometimes make mistakes [get balls up and over the fence]. Being relaxed and taking a deep breath before that last at bat really helped.”
Chamberlin was prepared to accept a different outcome.
“It was something that I knew could happen, and if it wasn't going to happen I was going to be OK with it because we won games this year,” she said. “That's all I asked at the beginning of the year. All in all, it was a good win tonight.”
In this final at bat of her prep career, the no-doubter enabled Zoltowski to distribute some special celebratory gifts after the game that never would have been unveiled otherwise.
During the team's post-game talk, Coach Z unzipped a gym bag that contained 26 T-shirts that featured a “61” and a message that said “Just Did It” on the front. Zoltowski had purchased the shirts last month to commemorate Chamberlin's impending record, which almost didn't happen.
“They never would have seen the light of day if she hadn't done it,” Zoltowski said.
Added Chamberlin, “Coach Z said he's been sitting on these shirts for three weeks, so he's had all the confidence in the world in me. I couldn't have done it without Coach Z, as well.”
Zoltowski has admired Chamberlin not only for her batting skill, but her overall understanding of the game, her relentless work ethic, and her willingness to be a team player.
“We're extremely excited for Macy breaking this record,” the coach said. “The team concept has helped propel her to do that. Coaching her for three years, we just kind of let her be Macy and try to build on the things that we could.
“Things like the mental aspect of it prepare her for what she's going to face in the future. We're excited and looking forward to seeing her play next year at the collegiate level.”
After going 3-for-4 in her final game, the future Penn State University player closed her senior season batting .759 (41-for-54), the eighth highest single-season batting average in Ohio prep history, according to Ohio High School Athletic Association records.
She hit 19 home runs this season, drove in 37 runs, and scored (32) runs while striking out just once in 94 plate appearances. Chamberlin was walked 40 times by opposing teams, and owes a special tip of the sportsmanship cap to Redskins coach Ryan Wiechman, who did not opt to walk the Evergreen standout.
That was no small gesture, considering that Port Clinton (16-12) was seeking to equal a record of its own in the season finale – tying the program record for wins in a season at 17.
“She's a good player,” Wiechman said of Chamberlin. “She's going to Penn State for a reason. We came over here to play, and we could have tied a record of our own. So, we came to play.
“I'm not going to take that away from her in her last game and not throw to her. She still has to hit the ball, and still has to put it over the fence, and she did it. She earned it. She deserved it. She's a heck of a player.”
Chamberlin was grateful for Wiechman's sportsmanship.
“Without them pitching to me, I wouldn't have been able to break the record either, so I really appreciate what they did for me tonight,” she said.
After hitting eight homers as a freshman in 2021, when she received honorable-mention All-Ohio recognition, Chamberlin belted 13 homers (.690 batting average) in 2022, and hit a career-best 21 last season, when she batted .731 (38-for-52), the 13th-best season average on the OHSAA records list.
Chamberlin's .703 career batting average (163-for-232) ranks as the third highest in state history, trailing only McKenzie Bump of Mount Gilead, who hit .765 from 2017-19 (163-for-213), and Finley Payne of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, who hit .756 from 2019-22 (127-for-168).
Her career on-base percentage stands at an amazing .790, and her career slugging percentage was an eye-popping 1.672, giving Chamberlin a career 2.462 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage).
Evergreen (9-13) got a complete-game six-hit victory from junior pitcher Kira Keller, who struck out nine Port Clinton batters.
Sanchez struck out 10 Vikings in six innings and was 3-for-4 at the plate in defeat.
Another area record-setter was in the bleachers to watch Chamberlin reach her milestone.
Former Blissfield baseball coach Larry Tuttle, who guided the Royals to a Michigan-record 1,332 wins in his career (1968-2021), was there primarily to watch his granddaughter, Evergreen freshman third baseman Leah McVey. Tuttle noted during the game that he has been very impressed with Chamberlin's batting prowess, as well as her defensive skill behind the plate.
Those will be the tools required for Chamberlin to continue her success in the Big Ten.
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