Though the school year is over, many talented high school senior athletes are still searching for where they will play college baseball next season. Several currently play baseball for the Sanford Spinners, while others in other sports are also considering their options.
One of those players is Lee County native Kerris McSwain, who played her freshman season at Lee Christian School, making NCISAA 1A All-State, before transferring across town to Lee County High School, where she finished out her high school career and played a big role in turning around the fortunes of the Lady Jackets.
McSwain signed a national letter of intent with Wake Institute of Technology last month and is set to join the Lady Eagles in 2024-25. At 6-0, McSwain should add depth to a Wake midfield that had just one player over 6-foot last year. The team went 18-12 despite that, missing just four sophomores.
Lee County reached the NCHSAA 3A state playoffs during McSwain's junior and senior seasons, where she averaged a double-double both years, 11.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per game as a junior and 15 points and 13.3 rebounds per game as a senior. In 2022-23, Lee won the Yellow Jacket Christmas Classic title and finished with a 14-10 record, its first winning season in seven years. A year later, injuries to key players limited the Lady Jackets to an 11-12 record, but the team again made the playoffs.
She had two 20-20 games as a senior, both against Pinecrest. She had 22 points and 21 rebounds in the Patriots' 59-53 win over Lee on Jan. 10 and 20 points and 20 rebounds in the rematch on Feb. 6, which the Lady Jackets won 61-46. Her season-high in rebounds was 22 points against Southern Lee and her highest total was 24 points and 18 rebounds against Hawk on Dec. 29.
She showed great two-way play as a junior, recording 16 points, 20 rebounds and six blocked shots in the final game of the Christmas Classic on Dec. 30, 2022. She recorded a double-double in both the semifinals and finals of that tournament, as the Lady Jackets won eight of their first nine games.
McSwain served as triple captain for the 2024 team along with Jillian Garrison and Lily Currin.
She only fouled out three times in her entire career, averaging just two fouls per game, which is impressive for a player who was very active in rebounding and averaged 1.4 blocks per game.
