By Chris Sokoloski

csokoloski@gtowntimes.com

Georgetown High School's Megan Strickland signed to play softball at Coker College on Monday.

"All the hard work, it shows that it's paying off," Strickland said.

Strickland has played on the varsity squad since she was in eighth grade. She was promoted from junior varsity because coach Al Hutchinson needed a second baseman. When his catcher got hurt, Hutchinson asked Strickland if she would fill in.

"I'll play anywhere you want me to play," Strickland told Hutchinson.

Strickland has been behind the plate for the Bulldogs since then and has grown to love it.

"You get to be in all the action," she said. "[I'm] trying to keep everybody's head in the game because [I'm] the one that sees everything."

"She's just a great, great ballplayer," Hutchinson said. "She gives everything she has every time she walks out on the field."

Georgetown finished 22-6 last season and made it all the way to the Lower State finals where they lost to Hartsville.

Strickland has been a team leader for years, and that role will only increase in her senior season.

"When people make errors I'm just going to try and get them back into the game and keep everybody paying attention and knowing what's going on so we can be the best we can," Strickland said.

"She is the general," Hutchinson said. "She leads by example. She works hard."

Strickland was picked for the Queen of Diamonds showcase in the summer and it gave her a taste of what college competition is going to be like.

"It was really fun," she said. "I actually felt like I got the experience I'll get at college. I learned a lot. I feel like I bettered myself."

"She's a student of the game," Hutchinson said. "She watches the game as it goes on. She can actually help other players by watching the game."

Strickland follows her brother, Timmy, and Bulldogs teammate Logan Cox to Coker, where she wants to study to be a pharmacist.