Dad & Daughters

Softball is truly a family affair for the Marcums of New Palestine. "We're all dedicated to this sport," says Ed, head softball coach for New Palestine High School. His daughters, Alyssa and Michelle, start for the Dragons and according to Ed, his wife Becky is one of the best bookkeepers around. "We spend our weekends playing in tournaments and traveling together," he says. "If we didn't do that, the girls would be somewhere else and I'd probably be at work." With a softball field as a second home, it would be easy to get tired of each other, but that just isn't the case with the Marcums. "She's so much fun to be around, sometimes I forget she's my sister," says Michelle, a sophomore, of Alyssa. And for her part, Alyssa, a senior, can't recall the last time they fought - on or off the field. "I don't think softball would be half as much fun without them," says Alyssa. Ed says coaching his daughters hasn't changed much about his style of coaching, although coming home after they lose has its fair share of tension. "I treat them like I do any other player, though I have a tendency to be a little harder on them," says Ed. "Plus, they have to live with me after I lose." Luckily, the Marcums have found a winning combination and living with dad after a loss is a rare occurrence. Through May 16, New Palestine, ranked No. 3 in Class 3A and sported a XXXX record. A large part of that has been due to the contributions of the Marcum sisters, who had a combined 45 RBI through 16 games this season. This year, Alyssa, a catcher and third baseman, set a school record for career RBI and had 23 hits, including seven doubles, and a .460 batting average through 16 games (teammates Jessica Huey, Katie Prosser and Kaitlyn Smith were also above the .400 mark.) This time next year she will have begun her freshman campaign at Indiana State University. The younger Marcum has played numerous roles for the Dragons in her brief career. Michelle stepped in as a starting pitcher her freshman year and finished with a 12-1 record, but pitches and plays third base this season. "It's fun to play together," says Michelle, who hit .365 with six doubles through 16 games this season. "I like it because my dad gets to see everything. But there's extra pressure to show everyone you deserve the spot on the team, not just because your dad is the coach." And that's one of the reasons Ed wanted to check in with his daughters before he accepted the varsity position. "I went to Alyssa and said, 'How are you gonna feel when you get to high school and your dad's the coach?' She looked at me and said, 'That will be fine, it will just make me work harder.' She's taken that as a personal challenge. And Michelle was all for it as well." The added pressure, combined with an uncompromising work ethic, has paid off for the Marcums. Both girls have powerful weapons: Michelle has a "rocket arm" (1.14 earned run average in 37 innings pitched) and makes solid contact with the ball while Alyssa is a power hitter and plays strong defense behind the plate. In addition, Ed says, both girls display great leadership skills. "They enjoy playing and that spreads among the team members," he says. "I never had to push either one of them very much. Sure, sometimes they'd be tired but they understood it took a lot of hard work to be the type of player they wanted to be." In fact, Alyssa figured that out on her own when she was 8 years old. "She started to get pretty good and she knew it was because she practiced harder," says Ed. But it's not just the girls who work hard. Ed has his own credentials for the job: He coached the Dragons to the state championship in 2003, a 1-0 loss to Gibson Southern, in his first year as head coach. "I think that would have been a good time to quit," he jokes, now in his fifth season. He kept on coaching - and says he probably will after Michelle graduates, "as long as they'll have me." The Dragons will more than likely want to keep him around. Ed Marcum's teams are known for their hard work and stellar defense - in 2006, New Pal had 15 straight games without an error, a feat only topped by three other schools. His pitching staffs are precise - in that 2006 season, the Dragons only gave up 12 walks all season. Marcum has also had his share of hitters and offensive stars, such as 2005 graduate Katie Armour, who scattered 180 hits in her high school career, the third highest career hit tally in state history. And Armour holds the state record for most doubles in a career as well, with 57. Although Ed will miss many college games and the scenes the family has grown to love at New Palestine: back-to-back hits by the Marcums and Alyssa, the catcher, calling the game for Michelle, the pitcher. "Sometimes she disagrees, but we just talk it out," says Alyssa, about their relationship on the mound. "Everybody on the team is encouraging. They take in what I'm saying and I listen to what they say and take it back in." Their approach to the game - that attitude and work ethic - is one of the things Ed is most proud of in his daughters, but the girls know they owe their style of play all to him. "He taught me to give it my all when I go out there," says Alyssa. "That if I worked as hard as I could, that I'd get the results I wanted." The respect and admiration doesn't end there, though. Ed credits the girls for teaching him patience; Alyssa is in awe of Michelle's pitching ability and the way she always gets on base; Michelle wants to make her sister and her father proud of her. "They've both taught me a lot about softball and life in general," says Michelle. "My dad taught me to be a good person and to show respect for people and Alyssa taught me how to work hard."