With a hand of draw-four UNO cards and intention, Maegan Garrison and her father Rodney have been able to dodge the wildcards life has thrown at them.
 
When playing UNO at the Garrison house, Maegan, a redshirt junior infielder at North Carolina Central University said her father showed her no remorse when the cards came out, but it was only to show his children to bring their A-game every time. 
 
“In the beginning, it was tough to draw the line because I didn’t let it go soon enough,” Rodney said. “But we had a period where we (Maegan and himself) talked about it and after that, we washed it, and it was done. Once she came to me and said this (softball) is what she wanted to do, I knew I was going to push her and prepare her for college. I wanted to make sure that once she got to college, she was in a space where no coach could impact her negatively in a way to impact her emotionally or mentally.”
 
Maegan started playing T-ball at the age of four then she transitioned into recreational ball. She soon realized she wanted to take softball seriously at age 10 and started travel ball.
 
While developing her love for the game, Maegan had to do it in a predominantly white environment. She expressed that the girls on her middle school team, travel ball teams, and high school teams did not look like her. 
 
“My teammates here (at NCCU) understand me more than my previous teammates, Maegan said. “They’ve been through the same experiences as me and it’s easier to talk to them about stuff. I have a different level of comfortability with them.”
 
Her father Rodney also said as a parent, it makes him feel at ease knowing Maegan is in a supportive environment. He also said NCCU was what his daughter needed at the right time.
 
Maegan originally committed to a different university going into her junior year of college. She decided to open her recruitment again during her senior year after feeling like the school simply was not for her anymore. 
 
NCCU offered the Harrisburg, North Carolina native at an Elite 80 camp halfway through her senior year. She explains it allowed for her stress to subside and she was able to enjoy all the elements of senior year such as prom and graduation. 
 
“I went on a tour and realized it was the exact place for me,” Maegan said. “I never expected myself to go to an HBCU until I stepped on campus. You can’t beat the atmosphere here. It’s one big family, no matter who you are, and I just love that about the campus and everyone here.”
 
Like most HBCU incoming freshmen, Maegan visualized her yard experience to mirror a scene from the movie Drumline, but the COVID-19 pandemic had other plans for the budding Eagle. 
 
“I was pretty upset when my season got canceled because we only played 16 games my freshman year,” Maegan said. 
 
To stay connected with teammates, Maegan consistently texted and called them, but it was no match for in-person experiences. 
 
“To keep up with my skills, I did a lot of hitting and defense throughout the week,” Maegan said. “I can thank my dad for that because he’s always on me about that kind of stuff.”
 
Although the 2019-2020 season was canceled, Maegan was able to hit the mound running by starting in all 16 games. During her debut year, the determined third baseman accumulated four hits, five runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. She also scored twice in an NCCU win against Harvard. 
 
“My competitive nature comes from my dad,” Maegan said. “Practicing with him and being with him all the time and seeing his competitive side. 
 
As the 2021 season progressed, Maegan expressed that she experienced a slump. To work through it, she put extra effort in by having additional hitting sessions with head coach Cat Tarvin.
 
“Honestly, at NCCU, I have the opportunity to go out and show people that doubted me that I am at a DI level and I’m playing just like all the other girls,” Maegan said.
 
All of Maegan’s consistency led to her first collegiate home run during the 2021 season in the MEAC Championship against North Carolina A&T. 
 
“This moment was huge for me,” Maegan said. “I was in a slump around this time of the season so, hitting that home run for my team just helped my confidence a lot. Also, seeing my teammates so happy and jumping all around was surreal for me.”
 
Maegan’s championship home run was a bow on an almost perfectly wrapped season. Before this, she started in every game but one and had three doubles, one triple, six RBIs, six runs, and one stolen base. She also produced four multi-hit games with a bright spotlight against Florida A&M. 
 
While being the best she can be on the field, she also put her studies first with aspirations to become a registered nurse. Her hard work on and off the field landed her on the MEAC All-Academic Team for the 2022 season. 
 
Prior to the start of this season, Maegan was named to the 2023 Preseason All-MEAC First Team at shortstop. She earned MEAC Player of the Week on April 3, 2023, after hitting .429 in five games, driving in a combined 12 runs and scoring six times in helping the Eagles to a 3-2 week – including a three-game sweep of Delaware State. She hit two home runs and two doubles for the week, hitting safely in all five games. She had four RBIs on a grand slam against Appalachian State and drove in two runs in each game of the Delaware State series.
 
Her goals for the rest of her time at NCCU include increasing her batting average, fewer errors, giving 110% effort and doing what’s best for the team while being a role model to whoever is on the team at any given time.
 
Maegan said she is using her last year of eligibility to suit up in an NCCU jersey one last time and leaves this for all the other Black girls playing softball across the world: “Be you, do not change yourself for anybody. Believe in the craft you have been working on. Everything happens for a reason, God will put you in the position you need to be in.”