Greenfield's MacKenzie Paulin grew up dreaming of playing softball at the Division I level. 

This month, she made that dream a reality. 

Paulin committed to continue her softball career at Merrimack College, as the rising senior at Greenfield High School will head to North Andover in the fall of 2025.  

“It’s so exciting,” Paulin said. “It’s a big relief. This year won’t be as stressful and now, I’ll get to live out my dream of playing Division I softball. I’ve been all smiles the last few days and am just super excited.” 

It wasn’t just softball that sold Paulin on Merrimack. After touring the campus, she knew it was the place she wanted to be despite interest from other schools.

“The campus is super nice,” Paulin said. “I felt really at home and comfortable when I toured there in the fall. The coaches made me feel very comfortable and I had a great relationship with the head coach [Elaine Schwager]. I was looking at a couple schools but Merrimack just felt like home. Since I was a little girl my dream was playing Division I so that was a factor as well.”

It’s been a long recruiting process for Paulin.

She began emailing coaches her freshman year to get the process going, but the NCAA prohibits Div. I coaches from contacting or reaching back out to potential recruits until the fall of their junior year.

Once she was able to get in touch with Schwager — who next spring will be entering her 11th season coaching the Warriors — the relationship bloomed.

Paulin called Schwager to let her know she was going to commit, feeling she made the right choice.

“It’s been a long process,” Paulin said. “It’s nice to now be committed. I started talking with [Schwager] [last] fall, went on a tour in the fall then went on a second tour in the spring where I got my official offer. I told [Schwager] that I was giving her my official commitment and she said she was psyched to have me. She thinks I can make an impact.”

Merrimack is coming off its best season since it began the transition to Div. I in 2019, winning 19 games. A program on the rise, Merrimack left the Northeast Conference after this past school year and will be joining the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference starting this fall. The MAAC includes New England schools like Fairfield, Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart [which is also moving from the NEC], and is also comprised of schools in New York, New Jersey and Maryland. 

Schwager — who has won over 400 games in her career and has coached at the Div. I, Div. II and Div. III levels — led Merrimack to the NEC tournament in 2023 and will be looking to continue that success in the MAAC. 

“[Schwager] has a ton of coaching experience,” Paulin said. “Talking to her, I feel very comfortable being in her hands. It’s a good program and they’re updated the facilities.”

Paulin has had immense success during her time at Greenfield. 

The right-handed pitcher led the Green Wave to Western Mass. Class C championships each of the last three years, and Greenfield went on to win the MIAA Div. 5 state tournament in 2022 and 2023. 

Paulin eclipsed the 500-strikeout mark as a sophomore, and this past spring went over 100 career hits. While capable both in the circle and at the plate, she’ll be focusing on pitching at Merrimack.

Paulin said she’s proud to be a Div. I commit, knowing how difficult it is to be recruited at that level.

“Coming from a small town in Massachusetts, I’m trying to represent and beat the odds,” Paulin said. “There aren’t a lot of Div. I athletes coming from here.”

Being a Div. I athlete doesn’t come easy. It comes with sacrifice, an immense amount of time practicing on your craft and giving up your free time to reach your goals.

All those years of hard work have paid off for Paulin.

“It was a long process, not just on the recruiting side but in trying to get recruited,” Paulin said. “You have to keep getting better and that takes a lot of dedication, sacrifice and discipline. It’s a big commitment. I’ve missed a lot of things with my friends that I wanted to be at, especially in the moment. I just kept the end goal in sight and now I get to see the reward.” 

It’s not just Paulin sacrificing the time. She lauded her parents, Marcus and Jenn, who spent so many hours driving her around to recruiting camps, practices and everything in between. 

She says she couldn’t have done it without them. 

“I want to thank my family,” Paulin said. “Having my dad by my side through the whole process has been great. I owe a huge thank you to him for those sacrifices. He spent a lot of hours with me on the recruiting side and a lot of hours making me the best I can be.”