During the first inning of Plymouth Christian Academy’s 7-1 win over Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest on May 5, shortstop Mariah Wright fielded a line drive and made a routine throw to first for an out.
That prompted announcer Steve Ritchey to play the SportsCenter “da da da, da da da” jingle on his soundboard as the Eagles (9-9) retired the side.
But that play is about as routine as it gets for the sophomore, who has been smashing program records against one of Michigan’s toughest schedules this spring.
Despite being a Division 3 program with an enrollment of 251 students, they’ve already played many of the state’s best, including Salem, Canton, Plymouth, Livonia Stevenson, Novi, Detroit Country Day and Boyne City. They split with third-ranked Laingsburg and faced No. 4 Grass Lake and No. 5 Clinton, with No. 10 Lansing Catholic coming up soon.
Yet Wright, the daughter of 11th-year Salem baseball coach John Wright, has dominated against some of the strongest arms around.
She’s hitting .511 with a .617 on-base percentage. Including the win over Lutheran Northwest, she has 11 doubles, three home runs, 25 RBI, 19 runs and five stolen bases while also playing lights-out defense.
Last week, she tied the program record for RBI in a game with seven, matching teammate Clara Groen (2024) and current Alma College catcher Chloe Paryaski (2025). She also tied Maddie Yeager (2023) and Kate Harris (2025) for most home runs in a game with two, after breaking the school hitting record as a freshman.
“She’s just been very consistent as a fielder and hitter,” coach Jori Groen said. “She’s definitely been a leader in the infield, letting the girls know where the play needs to be made and what to do with the ball, but she’s also been very consistent in fielding the ball and taking charge while at the plate.”
That’s a hat tip to her travel experience.
She plays for the Tennessee Mojo Fastpitch program, which routinely sends players to Division I colleges, including current Salem pitcher Shannon McAuliffe (Murray State), and bats cleanup. She’s used to seeing high-end pitching every weekend.
Coincidentally, Wright and McAuliffe faced each other in a tournament two weeks ago. During the weekend, Wright had two hits but was walked four times in three games.
“I definitely prefer to hit off a girl that’s faster because that’s more what I’m used to, and it’s hard going from slow to fast, slow to fast,” Wright said. “I didn’t do the best when I went against Shannon, but I do hit better against teams with great pitchers. It makes games like this a little bit harder.”
And “like this” means Michigan Independent Athletic Conference games against slower pitchers who aren’t always bound for college.
When you’re used to pitchers who can touch 60 mph or more, adjusting to 30-40 mph can be a challenge.
“I feel like when you’re preparing to hit off a girl like Shannon, I’ve got to focus more on keeping my swing simple and taking my barrel to the ball,” Wright added. “But off of (MIAC) pitching, you almost have to generate the power a little bit more.”
Nevertheless, it’s led to a record-breaking season for the Eagles, who could make a deep postseason run despite their .500 record. Don’t let their record fool you. They’ve played some of Michigan’s top teams to prepare for matchups against similarly sized schools in June.
Wright is only in her second season at PCA, but she’s already a veteran presence, much like senior pitcher Clara Groen, who has signed with Cornerstone University.
Expect more from her as the competition, surprisingly, gets easier in the playoffs.
“She’s been so seamless at shortstop for us, and there’s very little that gets past her,” Coach Groen said. “At the plate, she’s consistently hitting well, taking ownership and being a leader there, too. We’re happy with how great she’s been for us this season.”
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on his new X.com account at @folsomwrites.
This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: Wright keeps breaking records for Plymouth Christian as only sophomore
Reporting by Brandon Folsom, Hometownlife.com / Hometownlife.com
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
