RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
When asked what I do for a living by those who don’t know me, my quick answer is “I tell stories.”
Of course, it’s a lot more complex than that and I love what I do, sharing the triumphs (and, sometimes, the tragedies) of the human experience as it pertains to the sport that we all love, softball.
It’s fulfilling and rewarding to see young athletes realize their dreams and accomplish so much after putting so much into it.
And that’s why this story is unlike any I’ve ever shared.
Toni McInnis, a 17-year-old senior at Rick Reedy High in Frisco, Texas, has dominated the softball scene for years and perennially ranked in the Top 50, even Top 30, of the 2021 class.
A 5-foot-11 standout athlete with tremendous hands and versatility, she excelled in the middle infield and outfield with her athleticism—she’s also been a standout volleyball player—and dangerous bat.
Said her club coach, Kevin Shelton of Texas Glory 18U, last month: “Toni really came on strong this fall offensively and was a very tough out. She got off to a strong start hitting .414.”
The senior was committed to Kansas and looked to be part of the Jayhawks’ signing class announced on November 12 that would include her Glory and Reedy High teammate Micaela Wark, a Top 25 honoree in the class.
The signing and Top 25 ranking for Toni, however, wasn’t to be.
On the day she was going to be announced in the Top 25 of the 2021 Extra Elite 100, we got a note alerting us that the senior was no longer playing softball. Was it, we wondered, due to injury? Family circumstances? Off the field issues? Something else… problematic?
*** Scroll down to learn what led Toni to end her successful softball career…