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Mackenzie Toney does it all for the Callaway softball pitching staff. The junior will find her way into the circle under any circumstances, whether it is a starter or in relief. Toney has pitched 89 innings in the regular season, 37 more than the next-highest Cavalier.

“It means a lot that the coaching staff trusts me to pitch in big games whether I’m starting or coming off the bench,” Toney said. “I just stay ready for my number to be called.”

Toney took no time adjusting to the high school ranks, immediately earning a role as a starting pitcher as a freshman. It has been a steady rise to the point where she is now the bonafide no. 1 pitcher on the staff.

“On the mound, I can control my emotions more than my freshman year, because I would get frustrated, and I got a lot better with that,” Toney said. “I have a lot more spin. I even build up more speed with my pitches. I have a lot more now than what I even had last year.”

Before finding pitching at 11 years old, Toney was a shortstop and an occasional outfielder. Now, she is practically a pitching specialist, though she has occasionally played first base during the travel ball season.

The regular season is a wrap as the Cavaliers head into the playoffs that start early next week. As Callaway awaits its playoff opponent, Toney can’t help but look back on how quickly three seasons on the diamond have flown by.

“It is crazy how fast it went, I might have cried a little on senior night,” Toney said with a chuckle.

Toney will have to play her senior season without her partner in crime, Karlie Walker. The senior catcher/third baseman helped Toney get acclimated to the varsity team and the two have formed quite a bond over the years.

“I cried with her on senior night. I’m gonna miss her,” Toney said. “It’s gonna be different for me my senior year.”

Now, Toney is building a new comradery with freshman catcher Ella Kelly that will continue into next season.

“I’ve been knowing Ella for years,” Toney said. “Working with her has been great and she is really learning how to catch my pitches.”

When Toney first put on the jersey for the varsity team she was almost exclusively a pitcher that relied on a pinch hitter. Not anymore. Toney has worked tirelessly to improve her swing and it has paid dividends in the diamond this season as Toney hit .312 with six RBIs in the regular season.

“I have been working at that, especially during the travel ball season. We’ve been doing a lot of hitting during the summer, and it also helped with coming into high school, but also my mentality changed, stepping into the batter’s box I have more confidence now than what I did have my freshman year because I would just go up there thinking ‘I’m about to strike out.’” Toney said. “Now, I’m more relaxed when I go up there.”

The junior also hit her first two home runs on varsity this year, the only two home runs any Cavalier hit in 2024 in fact.

“Those were amazing, they felt great,” Toney said. “The first one it thought ‘How in the world am I doing this.’”