MaKayla Stinnett signs softball scholarship with East Tennessee State

MaKayla Stinnett did not take a traditional rout to a softball scholarship, but she got there just the same.

A senior at Brighton High School, Stinnett only played one full season of high school softball. She focused instead on competing with her traveling team, Murfreesboro-based Tennessee Mojo.

The left-handed pitcher was a big part of that program and performed well enough to earn a D-I scholarship, which is very rare for a Tipton County softball player. On Nov. 15 Stinnett signed with East Tennessee State University.

Stinnett said she had multiple offers from area schools and initially planned on staying closer to home before being blown away during ETSU tour.

“I went on several campus tours and camps around here,” Stinnett said. “ETSU, through Twitter, asked me if I wanted to tour their campus. As soon as I hit campus it was like home … It just kind of felt like I was meant to be there.”

Brighton head softball coach Robin Jacobs said Stinnett pitched well during her freshman season as a Lady Cardinal.

“I remember she lost some really close games to some really good teams,” Jacobs said. “She had a great freshman season.”