Macy Hamby is one of several Ellijay natives competing at the Division I level, and she just wrapped up her junior season.
Hamby is a 2023 Gilmer High graduate and attends Appalachian State University where she plays softball for the Mountaineers. She had her best season to date as a junior and is looking for more of the same next season.
Hamby has been a constant on the field for ASU aside from a month during her freshman and junior seasons when she was injured. Hamby has appeared in 104 games during her time at App State, and the Mountaineers’ next game will mark her 100th career start.
She noted that her freshman year included a brief adjustment period most endure as they balance school, athletics, and everything in between.
“In college it’s class and practice and meetings and tutoring and all that stuff just jumbled up into one day,” Hamby said. “You’re making all your own meals and then it’s homework after practice. Everything is kind of just thrown at you and you really have to use your time wisely and have good time management, especially during the offseason. I was also trying to do stuff on my own (to prepare for the season). You just have to make sure you’re staying on top of everything.
“It was pretty overwhelming at first but then you get used to it and it’s a grind. You realize this is the life you signed up for.”
Hamby started 12 games during her freshman season and appeared in 16. The Mountaineers won 21 games, which included four in the Sun Belt Conference.
Hamby had a breakout season as a sophomore and started all 50 games.
“Going from my freshman season to my sophomore season, we got new coaches and everything was like a fresh start for me,” Hamby said. “I didn’t want to take it for granted, and I wanted to enjoy every moment. I started looking at the bigger picture and said, ‘OK, I’m here, and I’m going to do everything in my power to be the best I can be.’
“As an athlete playing a failure sport, I struggle with that every day. Softball is a failure sport, and you have to learn how to deal with that or you’re not gonna make it.”
She had the second-highest batting average (.313) and ranked second in hits (52) and runs (32) in 2025. She ranked third on the roster in home runs (nine) and on-base plus slugging percentage (.931).
Hamby racked up 13 multi-hit games and tallied a trio of three-hit games. She finished the season with three triples, the second most by any player in program history. As a team, the Mountaineers finished with a 23-27 record.
“It was a good season and we broke a lot of school records,” Hamby said. “It was just a really good feeling to see the program had been taken to the next level.”
Her junior year brought a change for Hamby. After spending her first two seasons in the infield, she made the switch to left field. She also endured another injury at the start of the season, and that kept her out of the lineup for a month.
Hamby upped her average to .323 and started 37 games in 2026. She knocked in 35 runs, which ranked fourth on the team. Her home run to give ASU the lead over Georgia Southern April 24 was her 100th career hit. She belted two grand slams on the year. Her first came against Gardner-Webb on April 7, when she also drove in seven runs, which was one RBI short of the school’s single-game record. Her second grand slam was the game-winning hit versus James Madison on April 17.
ASU had a 29-21 overall record and was 8-16 in conference play.
“The injury was very upsetting to start the season because I had been working so hard to get ready to play in the outfield,” Hamby said. “I came back and hit better than I did my sophomore year. We didn’t finish exactly how we wanted to, but from the first part of the season, we did really well and battled some bigger schools. We’re in a good spot, and I think we’re going to do really well next season.”
Hamby is majoring in recreation management. She will remain close to App State for the summer as she secured an internship with the Boone Bigfoots, a collegiate summer baseball team.
“For me, my goal every year is to beat my stats from the year before,” Hamby said when asked about the 2027 season. “As a team, we want to win the Sun Belt and move on to a regional. One of my goals has always been to make all-conference.
“I feel like I’ve really made a place for myself here. Our team culture is really good, and I’m really proud and happy to be a part of this program.”