Hello and welcome back to Let's Talk Choctaws with Meeby and Kienna!
This week we had the pleasure of sitting down with Markarius Lee- better known as Woogie- a senior baseball player from Southhaven, MS. We enjoyed getting to know the self-proclaimed 'goofy' guy better, and we were impressed with his hard working attitude and congenial spirit.
The Choctaw baseball outfielder starts his day early at 5:00 am to make breakfast before he heads to weights at 5:45. After weights he has class from 9:00 to 12:00, then he is always sure to take a nap before his 1:30 class. "That nap is a crucial part of my day," Woogie laughed. Tuesdays and Thursdays are considered off days for the team, "but in baseball or any athletics, there are no off days" said Woogie. He's always sharpening his skills any chance he gets. Saturday and Sundays are scrimmage days, and these days are considered the "fun days" of the week for the team.
Woogie enjoys hanging with the team and getting together when they can. "With Covid-19, we really try not to associate with other teams too much, and try to stay in our little bubble to stay safe," he said. Woogie is a nursing major, and after graduation he hopes to go on to be a nurse anesthetist. Woogie is a big people person, and describes himself as "a very outgoing individual." He was inspired by his mom to seek a career in the nursing field. "My mom is a respiratory therapist, and that's what really got me into the medical field. I used to go with her to see what she did [at work] over the summers," he said. He told us that another part of being in nursing is like being on a team, and that's an environment that he clearly thrives in.
On the field, Woogie is considered a Covid-19 junior since he will get his season back from last year. Typically, the baseball team has a large number of junior college transfers, but this year the team has ten freshmen- more than usual. "The freshmen are doing a good job at adjusting and are starting to get with the program," Woogie said, "The season cancellation just made us realize nothing is guaranteed. So you got to take everything like it's your last one. It's really brought a new appreciation for us." His favorite part of being on the baseball team is how much fun they have together, "the team and coaches can all be goofy together, and it's great," he laughed.
One of Woogie's favorite memories from last year's season was when they were playing West Alabama in February. The bases were loaded, and the Choctaws were behind when he went up to bat. Both the team and the crowd were tense, but Woogie told us that stayed cool. He looked over at Brewer [Hendrix] and said, "If I get up to bat, I'm gonna have to do something." When Brewer asked what he was going to do, Woogie replied, "I'm fixing to tie the game right here. I'm going to tie it, or put us up one." In the next pitch, he hit one off the wall, scored all three, and tied the game up. "That was probably the most hype moment I've ever had in my life," he told us.
Woogie didn't originally plan on playing baseball in college. He's been playing baseball since he was four years old, but he played both football and baseball all throughout high school. At first, his plan was to play football because he was getting scholarship offers. His senior year of high school, however, he had a knee injury and had to sit out of his final season. While he was recovering, he realized how much he missed baseball. "Sometimes you don't realize how much you love something until you don't have it anymore," he said. "I liked football because I liked the attention [the sport got], but I like baseball just because I like playing baseball." Woogie ended up at Meridian Community College where he began to develop and fine-tune his skills.
Mississippi College was Woogie's first visit when he started looking to transfer, and he said he was shocked at how much he liked it right from the start. "It was so much better than I expected," he said. He was also impressed with Coach Perez, the recruiting coordinator, who did a great job scheduling everything and keeping in contact with Woogie as he was making his decision. "I knew they really wanted me to play here," he explained, "and so I said, I'm going to go where I'm wanted, where I'm going to play, and where I'm going to fit in the best. And I felt that was at MC."
Of course, we had to ask Woogie about how he came to be known as Woogie. He told us that both his dad and his grandmother want to take credit for it, but it started way back when he was just a toddler. "You know how people will call babies all kinds of crazy things," he laughed. When they called him Woogie as a baby, he always looked up and giggled. "Now, that's all I know. I get called that more than my first name," he said.
We look forward to seeing Woogie on the baseball field this coming season and know he will excel in the medical field in the near future!
Thank you for reading, and be sure to come back next Monday to hear from our next guest.
