2020 SMDR Newcomer of the Year: Maggie Walsh

This article is a part of the 2020 SMDR Year in Review series.

There might not have been a more important addition to the San Marcos sports community this year than junior outside hitter Maggie Walsh.

Building a stalled program back up was tough for head coach Jared Te’o, but he got major help from the Denton Guyer transfer. If her team needed a kill, Walsh would come through. She posted a team-high 334 kills on only 65 errors, equating to 5.1 kills per set. Defensively, Walsh recorded 216 digs for the Rattlers. She was the anchor on the first team since 2001 to win a playoff game for San Marcos. 

The outside hitter collected awards, including All-District 26-6A First Team and Most Valuable Hitter of the year. With the Texas State commit’s senior season to come, we may be soon be calling her female athlete of the year.

Walsh's power and ability to outscore her opponents by themselves is why she is the 2020 San Marcos Daily Record’s Newcomer of the Year.

Honorable Mentions:

San Marcos Boys’ Basketball’s Malik Presley and Kaden Gumbs

A prospect can choose to get better or remain stagnant.

Presley had a lot of hype surrounding him coming into high school and so far his play has not failed to impress anyone who has seen the forward touch the floor. Each night he finds a different way to impact the game, whether it be his ability to attack the basket, block help side shots or make a highlight play by dunking on someone.

The sophomore already has posted multiple 20-point outings this season. He was voted All-District Second Team for the 2019-20 season and will look to build on that success in his second year as the No. 2-ranked player in the 2023 tri-state area.

The point guard position is filled with a lot of responsibilities, including leading the team by example, playing defense and setting the tone everyday in practice.

Gumbs was tasked with that as a freshman and excelled, only boosting his confidence in this upcoming district run. The sophomore broke his career-high four games into the year with a 29-point performance in a 59-52 win over Temple. 

The additions of Presley and Gumbs have lifted the trajectory of the Rattlers’ program.

San Marcos girls’ basketball’s Kayla Presley

Following her mother’s footsteps by coming to San Marcos after a short run at Lehman, Presley joined her best friend and long-time teammate, senior forward Faith Phillips during the 2019-20 season.

Presley made an immediate impact on the game over the last year. One of her most overlooked attributes is the ability to get off-ball steals, tallying over three in multiple district games last season.

Scoring the ball comes easy to her, too. The senior joined the 1,000 point club in the fifth game of the 2020-21 season on Dec. 4.

Texas State Men’s Basketball’s Isiah Small

A move from New Jersey to Texas can take some time to get used to. 

Small transferred in from Seward County Community College after averaging 15 points per game on an efficient 63% shooting from the field. Small slid into his role with the Bobcats helping them win their second consecutive 20-win season. 

The 6-foot-8 senior forward can stretch the floor as well as use his length to grab boards and block shots to keep him on the floor. He stayed an efficient 52.9% from the field in 2019-20. He shined in the biggest moments, scoring a season-high 23 points in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament against Appalachian State.

Texas State Baseball’s Tucker Redden

Redden has made stops at multiple different schools like Ranger College, Angelina College and his most recent stop at Houston but it looks like he’s found a home in San Marcos playing for Texas State.

He was forced to sit out the entire 2018-19 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Once allowed back onto the field, Redden was immediately a standout for the reigning Sun Belt conference champions.

The grad student was recruited as a pitcher but started at catcher for 12 of the Bobcats’ 15 games. Redden batted .275 with one home run, eight runs and seven RBIs before the pandemic cut the baseball season short.