October 12, 2020
Shawnee State senior Mitchell Patchett is looking forward to his upcoming esports season competing in “League of Legends.”
The Graphic Design major from Dublin, Ohio is also a multi-sport varsity athlete. During the fall, Patchett is on the soccer team, and in the spring, competes through League of Legends for the SSU Esports program.
“I transferred from Western Michigan University to play soccer here in 2017,” he said. “At that time the varsity esports program was getting started under its first coach, Kyle Trapp.”
Although Patchett was not originally recruited to play League of Legends for the esports team, he quickly made a name for himself, winning a local League of Legends tournament in Portsmouth. After his decisive victory, the Shawnee State coaches invited him to be a part of the team.
Patchett’s personal successes at the game did not stop with winning a local tournament. He is among the top one percent of players in the game, which overall attracts 100 million monthly participants on average.
“Much of the game is mental,” he said. “I just go in with a winning mindset and it has seemed to pay off for me.”
Patchett and the SSU League of Legends team have continued to improve each season. The team is coming off its best season in the program’s history in 2020 and are really looking to make their mark in 2021.
“We have a full diamond roster,” he said of the team’s current rank, “and entirely expect ourselves to break records from the previous years.”
Some of Patchett’s goals for the season include being better than the year before, maintaining a winning mindset, and finally, drawing the most appropriate ban per game. During competition each team can select certain opposing players to be “banned” from playing some games. Choosing the optimal ban is part of the strategy.
“Playing in esports at Shawnee has taught me how important your mindset is to accomplishing your goals,” Patchett said. “Staying mentally focused can really help toward succeeding in anything, not just in gaming.”
Anyone interested in the SSU Esports program can contact Esports Interim Head Coach Travis Lynn, tlynn@shawnee.edu.