Article at UnionLeader.com. Photo: Thomas Roy, Union Leader
Billy Chapman says the players he coaches on the Bedford High School baseball team all look at Maggie Foxx as a baseball player, which is exactly what she is.
Foxx, who is in her junior season at Bedford, is one of the few females who have played NHIAA varsity baseball. She may be the only female to play catcher in an NHIAA Division I game.
“She’s been with these guys for many years,” said Chapman, Bedford’s varsity coach. “She played Little League with them, so they see her as a baseball player and that’s how we view it here.”
Foxx was Bedford’s starting catcher for Tuesday’s 5-4 loss to visiting Portsmouth.
“I’m catching pretty much anytime Aiden O’Connell is throwing,” Foxx explained. “He’s committed to Northwestern. Sits about 87, 88 and just nasty offspeed pitches. I’m pretty much his catcher, and then I caught Patrick Foulis a little bit at the beginning of the season. We have a good staff this year. It’s going to be fun.
“These guys are my brothers. I’ve been around these guys since I was young.”
Foxx played both baseball and softball growing up, but always had a preference for baseball. She said she became a catcher primarily because of Beth Greenwood, who played that position for the Souhegan High School baseball team. Greenwood went on to play at the University of Rochester, where she became the first female to catch in an NCAA game.
“I’ve just always grown up around the game,” Foxx said. “It’s been my love since I was little. My dad brought me into it. He coached, GM for the Single-A Dodgers, he worked for the Fisher Cats. So as long as I can remember I’ve been around the game. It’s kind of been ingrained in me that this is what I’m supposed to do.
“The most I’ve ever really heard (from opponents) is the initial surprise of, ‘Hey, that’s a girl out there playing.’ Then I start to play and things kind of calm down.
“This season I haven’t heard much and I’m hoping it stays that way. Not gonna lie, it is easier when I’m not hearing anything.”
Foxx, who helped the Bedford girls soccer team win the Division I championship last fall, played junior varsity baseball for the Bulldogs as a freshman, and split time between the JV and varsity levels last season.
Although Bedford typically uses a DH in Foxx’ spot in the batting order, Chapman described her as a good defensive catcher who can play any position on the field. He said she even throws low-to-mid 70s on the mound.
“There’s not many kids who can handle 88 (mph) and she’s doing that,” Chapman said. “She’s thrown a couple kids out. Most of the time if the pitchers give her a shot, she has a shot of getting (the runner). In high school, most of it is on the pitcher.”
Foxx said her long-term goal is to make the USA Women’s National Team, which will hold tryouts in July.
“I made the top 40 roster last year,” she said. “This year I’m hoping to make the top 20 roster.”
As for college, Foxx said she will likely choose between playing Division III baseball or Division I softball, although she’s leaning toward switching to softball since it may improve her chance of making the Team USA roster in the future.
“I’d say her success can be attributed to her work ethic,” Chapman said. “She works three times harder than most of the boys — and she has to to keep up with them physically. She’s dedicated to lifting. She hits every single day on her own.
“She works hard, she knows the game, she’s a diehard baseball fan and she just loves to play.”
