Missouri Christian school senior is rising star in softball world, and in the faith

Lexi McDaniel is a verified star on the softball field, but you might not know it if you walked by her in the halls of St. Joseph Christian School.

The 17-year-old senior conducts herself much like any other student even though she’s the number one softball recruit in the nation this year and will attend the University of Oklahoma, winner of four straight national titles.

McDaniel has been playing top-level softball since she was 11 and made a team for 14-year-olds called ACES. Unlike most players, she competes year-round with ACES because her school doesn’t have a softball team. That’s helped her keep a low profile but has also built her skills – and her faith.

The result is a young woman who loves Jesus, is a leader on and off the field and is embraced by her community – a rare mix for someone so deserving of the spotlight.

School Principal Danny Maggart says McDaniel’s greatest attribute is her humility. 

“Her focus is never on herself. Her focus is on others, whether she’s in the classroom or on the softball field,” Maggart says. “She impacts the world because of her humility and because of her kindness, and she just exudes all the fruits of the Spirit. For a high school senior to be at that level of Christian character, she embodies not only our vision statement (‘Equipping students to impact their world for Jesus’) but our core values of scholarship, Jesus Christ, character and service.” 

Just how good is McDaniel? The middle infielder has batted .491 with 24 home runs and 97 RBIs, and struck out just 18 times in 261 at bats. For context, no major leaguer has hit .400 since Ted Williams in 1941. Kansas City’s George Brett came close in 1980, but his .390 was a full .100 points less than McDaniel. 

“I really like to hit,” says McDaniel, who exudes all of the enthusiasm of a typical teenager, with more poise. 

She shares about her hopes and dreams, as well as her accomplishments, with little fanfare. She wants to study management and minor in sports management with the eventual goal of becoming a sports agent. There aren’t many women in the field currently, but demand is rising since collegiate athletes can now negotiate paid contracts with universities. 

She’s excited to play at the University of Oklahoma because Coach Patty Gasso is a strong Christian and incorporates faith into the team for those who are willing. McDaniel has already gotten to know members of the team through camps and activities, and her best friend from ACES, Alyssa Parker, has also signed with OU. 

The hard work of training and travel hasn’t kept McDaniel from participating in typical high school activities such as prom and school groups. She also played basketball for her school up until this year, once scoring 28 points in a game. 

McDaniel and Maggart agree her development as a person has been greatly helped by attending a Christian school, even though it doesn’t offer softball. St. Joseph Christian shapes the faith and character of its students, and it has also accommodated her travel schedule, giving her schoolwork ahead of time.  

“My dad and I were talking the other day, and we would do this a million times over again. I would not want to be at any other school,” says McDaniel, who has attended SJCS since kindergarten. “This school has influenced everything in my life and it’s definitely changed me, and I wouldn’t have been anywhere where I am today without the school.” 

The softball star hopes to shine Christ’s light at OU, but she’s already making a difference.  

She recounts a time when she and two Christian teammates felt led to pray before a game. After, they asked to pray with the entire team. Their boldness inspired a couple other members of the team who had been quiet about their faith to become more vocal about sharing it as well. 

McDaniel’s also excited about Oklahoma’s culture, which for many of its players, includes playing from an eternal perspective. 

“One thing I absolutely fell in love with when I was there is how much they value other things than softball and they have a higher authority,” she says. “One of the things that they always say is ‘the end is already written,’ and so they are just playing for His glory, because they know that the outcome is whatever God has in store for it.” 

Her advice for others who want to follow in her footsteps is to be all that God made you to be. 

“I’m big on God has a plan in store for every single person, and whether that be in a sporting event, or whether that be in music or in a career, he has a place and a plan that you are supposed to be,” says McDaniel, whose favorite Bible verse is Romans 5:8, ‘For when we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’  

“In the Bible it tells us to do all things to our best ability, and so if my gift is softball, I believe I can glorify Christ through that sport, and the same with academics and career. I just want to give Him all of the glory.”  

She’s okay if her star keeps rising in the sport because it gives her a greater chance to witness for Jesus. 

“The more that you raise kind of a platform, the more you’re able to share who He is and how good of a God He is,” she says. “And I definitely think that it correlates into the side of when I am playing my sport, if I do bad or if I do good, knowing that I do not play for myself or for the attention, I play for his glory. So no matter the outcome, I just want people to understand that I am only playing my sport for His glory that he’s given me to show people who He is.” 

Maggart senses the glory, enough that the University of Missouri fan sees himself donning an OU sweatshirt and “yelling ‘Boomer Sooner’ in a stadium somewhere next year” when her team comes to town. 

“Lexi wants to honor God,” he says, “and that’s what we want for every employee, every student here – ultimately to honor the Lord with everything we do.”