It’s safe to say that the Quick family and East Carolina University have become synonymous with one another over the years. Norman Quick was an offensive lineman for the Pirates from 1980-84, and would eventually meet wife Carol during their respective tenures at the university.
And from an early age, their daughter Megan Quick has had her sights set on attending ECU to pursue both her softball and academic careers.
Quick’s dream of attending the school became a reality Wednesday afternoon, as the 18 year-old Marlboro Academy middle infielder made official her intentions of joining the Lady Pirates in the fall of next year.
“It’s mind-blowing to me that it’s actually happening,” Quick said. “Attending ECU and playing there has been something I’ve been looking forward to ever since I started playing softball, and now I’ve finally reached that dream.”
Prior to the creation of the Optimist Softball league in 2005 by the late Phillip Hayes, Quick often found herself playing against her male Optimist counterparts which developed her hard-nosed competitiveness at a young age.
That desire to compete and win has followed Quick through each stage of her life, and truly blossomed when she began her softball career at Marlboro Academy. Over the past three seasons alone as a member of the Lady Dragons, Quick compiled a batting average of nearly .500, and a yearly average of 20+ RBIs and 40 runs scored. She has earned more than 25 separate MVP distinctions dating back to her eighth-grade year, including multiple ‘varsity softball offensive MVP’, All-Conference and All-Region honors as well.
But for Quick, the individual honors pale in comparison to what her team managed to accomplish this season. In 2012, the Lady Dragons managed to unseat the defending champion Thomas Heyward Academy Lady Rebels out of Ridgeland, SC, to win the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) AA State Championship, the first time in school history for the softball program.
“Between signing with ECU and winning a state championship, I’d say they are about even in terms of what makes me the most proud,” Quick said. “I’m experiencing becoming a Pirate on my own, but when we won the state championship, I got to share that feeling with my teammates and my coaches which made it all the more special.”
“It was a wonderful ride to the state title, and Megan was an extremely important part of that team,” said Scotty Jacobs, who joins Norman Quick and Boyd McLaurin in coaching the Lady Dragons. “She was and is a true team player, and I personally think that ECU got themselves a bargain when they signed Megan. Her talent is no fluke, and I definitely see her continuing her success at that level.”
In addition to her team’s championship season, Quick was also a member of the North Carolina Challengers, a showcase softball team coached by Adam Renzi which traveled as far as Colorado to illustrate its’ talent. Quick has played travel softball since the age of 9, and as a member of the Challengers she led her team in hits, runs scored and stolen bases.
The ability to demonstrate her gifts on a major scouting platform led to Quick attracting much interest from collegiate programs. But once ECU came calling, Quick already knew that the opportunity to fulfill her dream had finally arrived.
During her time at the university, Quick will also pursue her other lifelong dream: An Early Childhood Education degree that she will utilize to one day become a kindergarten teacher.
And with the work ethic that has defined her life thus far, there’s no reason to believe that Quick won’t make her dreams come true yet again.
“The biggest thing to me is that it shows hard works pays off every single time,” said father and coach Norman Quick. “Putting the time in that she has her whole life, Megan now gets to do what she’s wanted to do ever since she was little.”
Post a Comment
