The University of Mississippi Athletics
Softball Senior Spotlight: Mary Jane Callahan
4/30/2007 | Softball
By Elizabeth Zaremba
Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations
Stepping to the plate with the game tied in the seventh inning, Mary Jane Callahan is focused. She receives the pitch and belts the ball out over the centerfield fence. As the Rebel fans celebrate, there is one fan cheering the loudest her mother.
Mary Callahan was diagnosed with lupus when her daughter was in the fourth grade. Lupus is an unpredictable disease, which can affect anything from the heart and lungs to the liver. For Callahan, it caused her to have a kidney failure last year.
“It’s been about 13 years and her kidney started to fail, so all year we’ve been battling and she’s had dialysis and everything,” said Callahan of her mom.
For Mary Jane, it has been harder than ever to be away from her family.
“It’s really tough because I’m really close to my family and we get along great,” she said.
If the distractions ever rattled her, no one can tell. The senior captain has led the Rebels in batting the past two seasons and ranks second with a .314 average this year. In the circle, Callahan has a team-best 2.30 ERA and is second in strikeouts with 92.
Callahan became the Rebels’ all-time winningest pitcher earlier this season after defeating top-ranked
Despite all of the records and awards, Callahan received the greatest gift on April 18, when her mother received a long-awaited kidney transplant.
“We’ve been waiting and praying and hoping and she finally got the kidney and we’re so happy. Everything is going great with her.”
As Callahan played her final home games at Ole Miss last weekend against
“I know she’s bummed that she couldn’t be here, but it’s good.”
In spite of her illness, Mary Callahan has received the best treatment she could ask for, as she has watched her daughter become one of the best in Rebel history.
