Former Marysville High School softball catcher Aggie Livingston (top photo) attempts to tag out a base runner during a 2019 game. Livingston’s sister Jewely (below) takes a swing at the plate during a game from last season. The siblings had planned on playing softball at Urbana University, beginning in 2021. The school is shutting its doors, but the sisters still plan to play college softball together. (Journal-Tribune photos by Tim Miller)
Aggie and Jewely Livingston have always been extremely close as sisters.
That includes their careers as softball teammates while advancing through the various levels of play.
They were together in the Marysville High School program for three years before Aggie, a 2019 graduate of MHS, went off to play at Urbana University.
In keeping with their spirit of togetherness, Jewely, who is a year younger, was going to join her sister as an Urbana freshman pitcher-shortstop in 2021.
That all fell apart when they received stunning news Tuesday morning.
That’s when they found out Urbana is closing its doors forever after the 2020 spring semester. The action came as a result of the school’s low enrollment.
“I received an email from the school and then a phone call from my coach (Brooke McCartney),” said Aggie, who was a freshman catcher during an abbreviated schedule this spring.
“This just came out of the blue and it was a big surprise,” she said.
Jewely had perhaps an even more emotional reaction.
“I was in shock and it’s a lot of disbelief,” she said.
“I cried.”
Despite the shocking news, Aggie still had a couple of online classes on Tuesday.
She also began scrambling to put her transcripts in order for the transfer process.
Jewely is taking her final MHS online classes from home due to the coronavirus outbreak.
After the initial shock wore off, the girls were still determined to play as college teammates.
“Jewely and I are going to have a Zoom visit with the coaches from Wilmington University,” said Aggie. “They’ve said they are willing to take both of us.”
“We’re still going to be a package deal,” said Jewely.
Aggie’s frosh season at Urbana was halted after only 10 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She started and played in five of Urbana’s 10 games that were played before the shutown. She went one-for-nine at the plate and had 22 putouts, an assist and one fielding error.
Aggie talked about the differences between high school and college softball.
“It’s a lot more competitive and you have to put in more hours in college softball,” said Aggie. “The players are also bigger, faster and stronger.”
Jewely’s senior season at MHS was canceled before the first pitch could be thrown because of the disease.
“I’m upset that I can’t play my senior season,” she said. “However, I still have college softball to look forward to.”
The younger Livingston got to play very little high school softball since her sophomore season at Marysville.
She missed more than half of the 2019 campaign while recuperating from a broken bone in one of her heels.
Once she recovered, she hit .343 and drove in six runs in limited appearances for the Lady Monarchs, who won the Ohio Capital Conference Central Division championship.
Despite missing so many games a year ago, Livingston feels she’s back up to speed.
“I’ve worked pretty hard to catch up,” she said.
The game of softball isn’t the sisters’ only love. They also have an aptitude for science.
Aggie is finishing up her freshman year at Urbana as a chemistry major.
Jewely will study biology.