Greenfield’s MacKenzie Paulin joined an exclusive list on Tuesday. 

The ace has been a force in the circle throughout her time with the Green Wave and on Tuesday against Mount Greylock, became one of the very few players in Massachusetts history to eclipse the 1,000 strikeout mark, doing so in Greenfield’s 9-1 victory at Vets Field. 

Paulin entered the game sitting at 987 career strikeouts and recorded her 13th in the fifth inning to reach the milestone. 

“It feels really good,” Paulin said. “It was special to do it on Senior Night and have the whole team there with me. It’s definitely a weight off my shoulders. It was in the back of my mind going batter-to-batter and wondering if I’d be able to do. it. It was just excitement after getting it.” 

Following a 14-1 five-inning run-ruled victory over the Mounties earlier in the season, Paulin went into the game thinking she had to be dialed in from the jump if she wanted to reach the mark, knowing there was a chance the contest wouldn’t go the full seven innings. 

That motivated her and though the game did go the full seven, she was still able to accomplish the feat in the fifth. 

“I just had to push myself,” Paulin said. “Going in I was thinking I had to get 13 strikeouts in 15 outs but I was still able to do it.” 

She became the first player in Green Wave history to reach 1,000 strikeouts, adding to her school record in that department.

“It means a lot to be able to represent my school and be the first to do it,” Paulin said. “I couldn’t have done it without my catchers, Ainslee [Flynn], Kelsey [Richardson] and Madi [Lemay] now.”

Paulin — who will be playing at Merrimack College next year — has had quite the career with the Green Wave, leading them to back-to-back state titles in 2022 and 2023. 

She became a full time starter in the circle as a freshman and went over the 500-strikeout mark as a sophomore. Not just a force in the circle, Paulin surpassed 100 hits at the plate last spring. 

Greenfield coach Ray Dodge has been coaching Paulin since her youth softball days and said he’s proud of his star for becoming one of the few to reach the milestone. 

“It’s about as major as it gets at that level,” Dodge said. “I’ve had her since she was on my 10U travel team before she even started pitching. I’ve watched her completely grow up. Over the last four years she’s continued to improve.” 

With three regular season games to go plus the Western Mass. and MIAA state tournaments, Dodge said he’s interested to see just how many punchouts his star can record before her Green Wave career comes to a close. 

“It’s a big number to reach,” Dodge said. “You could see the talent even when she was picking up spot starts in eighth grade. We’re onto 1,100. With a few more regular season games and the tournament, it’s certainly not out of the question.” 

It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to reach a mark like this, and Paulin thanked the many people in her life that have helped her get to this point. 

“I want to thank my teammates and my family, especially my dad [Marcus],” Paulin said. “I couldn’t have done it without any of them. I want to thank my coaches as well, coach Ray and [former] coach [John Hickey]. They helped me get here too.” 

Greenfield moved to 11-4 on the season with the win, as Paulin — who finished with 15 strikeouts and just two hits allowed— helped herself with a double that drove in two. Grace Laurie singled and drove in three runs, Carson Farrell knocked two hits, one a double, and drove in two while Gloria McDonald, Sarah McCloud (2) and Madison Lemay hit safely in the winning effort. 

It’s a big week ahead for the Green Wave, which take on Hampshire Wednesday, Westfield on Thursday and Agawam on Friday before the postseason begins. 

Still an overall young team, Paulin said Greenfield has grown through the year as it looks to bring another championship back to Vets Field this season. 

“The team is coming together,” Paulin said. “We’ve made a lot of progress. I’m super proud of everyone and for our younger girls who have stepped up.” 

Paulin joins Turners Falls senior Madi Liimatainen as 1,000 strikeout club members from Franklin County this season, as the Thunder right-hander accomplished the feat last month against Frontier.