Senior Season 2014: Leadoff hitter who started 24 games at shortstop and 24 games in center field … team-leader in batting average (.392), at bats (176), runs (35), hits (69), triples (3) and stolen bases (15) … led team with 21 multiple-hit games including eight three-hit games … posted 4-for-4 performance, scored four runs and drove in another in SLC Championship win against McNeese State on May 11 … went 3-for-5 with three RBIs against Central Arkansas on April 12 … recorded a hit in 11 consecutive games … had 2 RBIs in 3-for-4 performance in March 15 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi… All-Southland Conference second team selection… SLC All-Tournament Team, infielder… National FastPitch Coaches Association 2014 All-South Region Team… LSWA All-Louisiana Collegiate Softball team, shortstop, second team… Southland Conference All-Academic Softball team, first team selection.
Junior Season (2013): Started all 55 games at shortstop…led NSU with a .363 average notching 70 hits, including four doubles and 23 RBI…her seven triples was a league-high this season and received a national ranking at 7th bringing her career total to 11, sitting fourth in the all-time rankings at NSU…recorded team’s longest hitting streak (13) from 4/14 at Stephen F. Austin to 5/11 against Sam Houston…also led the team in runs scored (41)…earned All-Southland Second Team honors and SLC All-Tournament team.
Sophomore Season (2012): Appeared in all 50 contests, starting 49…stepped up to bat 162 times, putting the ball into play 58 times…led the team with a .399 on-base percentage…went 5-6 in stolen-base attempts…had 10 doubles and one triple while crossing the plate 25 times…earned All-Southland Conference Second-Team honors and SLC All-Academic Second-Team accolades…led the team and finished third in the conference with 58 hits and a .358 batting average…finished seventh in the league with 10 doubles…led the team with a .399 on-base percentage…recorded 19 multi-hit games, including six three-hit performances…had two doubles and four RBI off of three hits to aid in with over Jackson State…was named to the ULM Mardi Gras Classic All-Tournament team alongside Brittany Virgoe.
2011 Season: Appeared and started in every scheduled game in her freshman season…completed the season with a .271 batting average…collected nine stolen bases in ten attempts with two steals vs. Southeastern Louisiana…against Louisiana-Monroe, Tara carried the big hits for NSU as she collected half of the offense and went 2-for-3 for the game…carried a 10-game hitting streak through the heart of the SLC schedule…completed the season with ten multi-hit games, including three 3-hit performances vs. McNeese State and Prairie View A&M…recorded four multi-RBI games with a 3-RBI effort against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
At Red Oak HS: Tara was a standout in softball and volleyball, receiving letters in both sports all four years…volleyball team went undefeated in district play throughout her high school career (48-0) with three consecutive regional playoff appearances and two regional finals berths…earned multiple district honors including First-Team All-District as a junior and Libero of the Year as a senior…softball team appeared in Texas UIL Region II Bi-District playoff her last three years of high school…selected to the First-Team All-District as a sophomore and junior…named Region II Bi-District 2010 Most Valuable Player…participated in Theatre Arts for Fun Education (TAFFE), HADDIT, Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and Renaissance Club…named to the A/B Honor Roll…graduated in 2010 with a 3.1 grade point average.
Personal File: Born May 7, 1992...Tara Chandler McKenney…nicknamed “T” or “T-Mac”…daughter of Mark and Lisa McKenney…father is a plumber and mother is an Program Support Analyst…has one brother, Trenton…majoring in Communications with a minor in Business Marketing…has a 3.4 grade point average…member of Alpha Lambda Delta honor society... named to the NSU athletic department’s Academic Honor Roll and the Dean’s List…after she graduates in 2014, Tara wants to work in the magazine advertising industry in order to fulfill her life's ambition of publishing a magazine.
