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She knows all the words and can sing the theme songs from every Disney movie.
And if that wasn't enough, Erin Mackey is a varsity scholarship athlete at a Division I school.
"Her story is kind of a Michael Jordan story," said Mackey's younger sister, Jessie. "When she was 11 she got cut from Oak Park Windmills, the summer softball program that became a huge part of both our lives.
She and a few other girls wanted to play, so they did some recruiting and got a team together. Erin would never be cut from another team after that." The next year Erin made the team and went on to play for the Windmills for 10 years.
"My parents were always putting me in sports because I was kind of out of control. I guess it was always a way to channel my distracted energy," said Mackey.
After grade school at St. Edmonds in Oak Park, Ill., she moved on to St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago, where she played four years of varsity softball and now holds the league's record for most innings pitched at 11. "I think before softball was a pastime, something to do. Something I could be good at. But when I was in high school, I started hearing people around me talking about playing in college and I began to enjoy working toward that."
In 2000, Mackey was selected to play on the Spirit of Chicago team that toured Europe and competed in Holland. Chicago Tribune sportswriter Bob Sakomoto, who came to know Mackey while covering her high school career at St. Ignatius, coached the selective team.
"Erin Mackey is the all-American girl, one of the most well-rounded talents I've come across in my 25 years of covering fast-pitch softball," said Sakomoto. "She is a classic overachiever, pushing herself beyond the limit and maximizing her variety of skills."
Mackey's "distracted energy" and dedication, combined with her talent for the game, led her to make official visits to West Point and BC, and she soon had two national letters of intent in hand. "I really liked the West Point coach, and I thought that the discipline would be good for me and I could flourish in that environment," she said. Mackey spoke with BC's head coach Jennifer Finley, however, and made the last-minute choice to come to BC.
"Sometimes I think that BC doesn't deserve her," said Jessie. "Then again, I don't think anyone does. She puts in massive amounts of time and energy. Sometimes I think people forget what student athletes sacrifice to pursue their sport. I don't think Erin has ever questioned her decision to play. That says a lot about her dedication and willingness to sacrifice."
An economics major in the College of Arts and Sciences, Erin became a Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I Regional All-American and set Big East and BC records for doubles along with receiving various other rewards. Before blowing out her shoulder a year ago and moving to left field, Mackey was one of the team's top pitchers.
"Aside from whatever she's done statistically her stick-to-it-iveness is really great," said her father, Mark. "She's suffered three career-threatening injuries, and she keeps coming back from every one of them. I'm really proud of her."
The most recent of these injuries occurred last October when Mackey broke her fibula, causing her to miss most of the fall season. "It was tough coming back, but once I got back from Christmas break and we started preseason I caught up," said Mackey. After six weeks on crutches, Mackey had her cast taken off three weeks early and was back on the softball field.
The team is currently halfway through its Big East schedule, and Mackey is optimistic about the rest of the season. Last year, she was the only junior co-captain on the team and helped lead the Eagles to the one of the best years in the history of the program. "This year we have a veteran squad this year, and a lot of underclassmen are really stepping up. I think we'll do really well, and I'm excited to see."
While Mackey has personally struggled to produce this season, her contribution to the team runs much deeper.
"Parents come up to me and say she's really gone out of her way to help other players, especially the younger ones," said her mother. "She's really gone out of her way to integrate them into the team and make them comfortable and pass on some of her experience."
"Her maturity and self-confidence were critical components in the Spirit of Chicago's team chemistry. Her off-the-field leadership inspired others to follow her selfless ways," said Sakomoto.
Mackey has always acted as a mentor for her teammates, including her sister. Being only one year older than Jessie, it was natural for people to compare the two.
"Erin was better than me. Erin was better than everyone," said Jessie.
Mackey's mom isn't too worried about her daughter's ability to climb her way out of a slump.
"She's like a bull with a red flag. You put it in front of her and she goes. You tell her she can't do something, and oh my God, that's it. She'll run through a brick wall to do it."
"She's probably the most determined player I've been around," said her father. "Whatever she decides to do, she'll give her all and she'll probably be good at it. She sort of wills it to happen."
For Mackey, it will be her dedication and her teammates that help her through the rest of the season. "I think mostly it's the people I play with that inspire me," she said. "Especially my two co-captains and my teammates. They make me so excited to play, and they keep me inspired."
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