Today we spotlight a Peach State standout who had committed to her future SEC school just a few weeks into her freshman year…

Name: MAKENNA DOWELL
High School: North Gwinnett
City: Suwanee
State: 
Ga.
Grad year: 2017
Club: Georgia Elite – Hoover 16U
Position(s): infielder
College: Arkansas

High School Accomplishments: She helped lead her team to a 2013 Region Championship in Georgia as well as a top 5 finish at State. Makenna has earned All-Region honors her freshman and sophomore year.

Club Accomplishments: 2014-chosen to play on All-Star team at Colorado Fireworks Tournament; 2013-played in All-American Event for Scout Softball, led Elite to a 9^th place finish at PGF Nationals and 3^rd place finish at Georgia ASA State (16U).

Recruiting Process: “Makenna caught the eye of Coy Adkins, Arkansas’ assistant coach at the time, at the 2012 Diamond 9 Sun Classic showcase in Orlando, which was the start of Makenna’s freshman year in high school. Coach Adkins was so impressed with Makenna that he followed her for the rest of the season. It wasn’t long before word got back to Head Coach Mike Larrabee and the Hogs offered.

Scouting Report: One of the most solid defensive players in the 2017 class, Makenna is smooth, fluid and effortless. She makes plays others can’t and makes them look easy. Makenna is fearless and goes all out to make plays often making a momentum-killing play to shut down the opposition with her glove. Says Coach Hoover, “It’s crazy, but there are times when I see Makenna thinking so far ahead during an opponent’s at bat that she “wills” a double play into existence. It’s almost expected for me now, that Makenna will make the majority of the defense’s outs in a game.” Offensively, hits well to all fields and has great all-around athleticism.

Coach’s Comments: “Makenna’s body of work speaks for itself. She has had tremendous impact on all teams she’s played on. I would be hard pressed to find another player like Makenna. As a coach I have been blessed to have her. Offensively she is solid as a rock and defensively she is off the charts!”
— Australia Hoover, head coach of Georgia Elite – Hoover

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 Bonus coverage! Here’s a profile we did on Makenna way back in August, 2013 shortly after she had committed to Arkansas…

RECRUIT SPOTLIGHT: MAKENNA DOWELL

You have to be pretty darned good to be offered by an SEC school when you haven’t played a single minute of softball your freshman year, but that’s the case for Makenna Dowell, a 2017 shortstop who attends North Gwinnet High in Suwanee, Ga.

Here parents, Eric and Kim, knew they had a dedicated athlete on their hands seven years ago when they kept hearing a thump-thump-thump noise pounding on their house.

“She’d throw the ball against the wall and catch it, throw it and catch it… over and over and over,” laughs the athlete’s father.  “It about drove us crazy.”

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Makenna ended up as a skilled shortstop—she was only following in the tradition of her older brothers, Christian (now 21), and Ethan (16) who shined on defense as well on the baseball field.

Flash forward to seven years later and, today, the softball-playing teenager is two weeks into high school and already knows where they’ll be playing in college—at the University of Arkansas.

“Their coaches first saw Makenna at a Legacy tournament last year,” Eric begins.  “We later asked them what they saw in her and they said it was her intensity in the line drills.  They followed her around more and saw her at the Premier tournament (PGF) where her team, the Georgia Elite, finished ninth.”

It didn’t hurt Makenna’s stock any that she hit .477 over the team’s five game run in Huntington Beach.

“Arkansas liked her attitude and in a conversation asked if we’d come for a visit.  They said then that they were ready to give a verbal and we were blown away.”

The shortstop’s father explains that they took the 750 mile trip to the Univ. of Arkansas two weeks ago (Friday, August 16) and spent most of the day with Head Coach Mike Larabee.

“He was careful to not pressure Makenna,” Eric remembers, “and that was her first unofficial visit, but we realized Arkansas hit two key points important to Makenna: she was looking for a town that was college centric and she wanted a coach that was more of a mentor and not a friend.”

“Also, I knew she didn’t want to say local and that’s why we wanted to look at more outlying schools.”

So why would a big school like Arkansas be so interested in a 14-year-old softball player?  Eric says there’s one thing that made her so coveted by not just the Razorbacks, but by several other SEC schools.

“It’s her defense, absolutely without a doubt.  Scouts have told us she just knows what to do and how to do it on contact.”

Here’s more on the talented infielder including her thoughts on why Arkanasas as well as perspectives from her Georgia Elite coach and the head of Scout Softball who has been impressed with Makenna ever since seeing her on the field

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Makenna on why she chose Arkansas…

“I chose Arkansas because I really liked the school and what they have to offer both academically and through their softball program,” the standout infielder says.

“I don’t want to go to a school that is just good at athletics or just good at academics.  I want a school that offers me both and I feel like the University of Arkansas is the perfect balance.”

“I have many goals for myself when it comes to softball and the next level.  I feel that the coaching staff at Arkansas, with their like-mindedness and shared philosophy, are exactly who will get me to where I want to be.”

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From Georgia Elite 16U Head Coach Australia Hoover…

“Makenna has been a player I have watched grow for nearly seven years now.  She and my daughter, Jaimie Hoover started their travel ball careers playing against each other as seven and eight year olds, when Jaimie was on the Rockdale Rage and Makenna was on the Hotshots.  It seems their two teams would face off in the championship games of every tournament they both entered.”

“In 2009, I had the pleasure of being on the coaching staff of the Worth Cobras 10U team that finally put Makenna and Jaimie on the same side as teammates as opposed to competitors.  That team went on to finish 2nd at ASA Nationals in Johnson City, Tenn.  The two have been teammates ever since and are the best of friends.  They faced each other as opponents again recently when Makenna’s North Gwinnett High school played Jaimie’s Collins Hill High school in a regional softball game.  Jaimie’s team pulled out the victory in that one!”

“Makenna’s verbal commitment to Arkansas was as special to me as when my daughter verbally committed to play at the University of Florida early in the summer.  Makenna’s talents were appreciated very early by Arkansas Assistant Coach Coy Adkins, who first saw her play in Orlando, Fla in 2012.  From there, Coach Adkins followed and observed Makenna’s demeanor on and off the field and continued to be impressed by her consistency, incredible instincts and her high softball IQ.”

“I told Coach Adkins that if I had to start another team, I would pick my daughter first (only because I have to get her to the field!) but Makenna would be a very close 2nd pick.  Any team will be a better team by having her on board.  Arkansas really got a gem.”

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From Mark Mulvany, the Director of Scouting for Scout Softball…

One thing Makenna has done on an individual basis was attend Regional and National events produced by Scout Softball.  She was honored as the Scout 2013 All-American Most Outstanding Defensive Player after onfield performances which only added to the respect she’s garnered even though she’s barely started her freshman year of high school ball.

“’Smooth’… that’s the word I heard over and over from Scout All-Americans this year to describe Makenna and I have to agree. When we selected her as a Scout All-American this year, we knew what we would get: great physical tools accompanied by some of the best pure softball instincts we’ve ever seen. Congrats to Arkansas for landing a defensive stopper up the middle.”

Mulvany says that Makenna’s “Scout Index” is an 88.65… to put that in perspective, here’s a look at some other SS commits to big programs and how old they were when they received their Scout Index*

— Whitney Burks – 2014 – 92.10 – Stanford University – Sophomore year
— Stephanie Wong – 2013 – 90.42 – University of Texas – Sophomore year
— Riley Browder – 2013 – 87.93 – Baylor University – Junior year
— Mason Garland – 2014 – 87.05 – University of Georgia – Sophomore year
— Chelsea Seggern – 2016 – 84.65 – University of Tennessee – 8th grade year

* The “Scout Index” is a combination of 32 individual categories that are graded on each player that Scout evaluates throughout the year in a combination of workouts and games.

Click here to see Scout video of Makenna Dowell in action on the field!