Conversations with Maddie:
What Has Been Your Favorite Course through Spring ’25:
My favorite class has been Emerging Pathogens which I took with Dr. Barth this past spring. I really enjoyed learning about how infectious agents develop to become pathogens that cause major epidemics. I enjoyed the small classroom environment a lot, because we were able to have class discussions about different topics that Dr. Barth would assign.
You’ve been a starter and a reliever. How do you approach each of those roles?
The roles are a lot different. In a starter role, you get plenty of time to warm up and a clean slate with no outs, no one on base, and no score. It’s more important to think about stamina and being able to last 7 innings in the circle without losing any of your spin or speed. In a reliever role you get little time to warm up and usually very little warning. You rely a lot on adrenaline coming into stressful situations, such as bases loaded. It’s more important to stay calm and trust yourself.
As a reliever, you have to be ready to walk off the bench and get in the circle without a lot of warmup time. Is that something you get used to doing?
Yes. It took a while to get used to having to stay ready to go into the game at any time. Recently, with our smaller pitching staff, it’s become even less warmup time, because we try to save some energy. Coming in after other pitchers helps, because even without having the best warmup, you can rely on your difference in movement while you get settled in. Usually, the first few batters struggle with the sudden change giving you more time to figure out what is and isn’t working.
Did you fill both roles when you played at Langley HS in Virginia?
I threw a lot of relief there my first few years and played a starting role pitching my senior year. Pitching was never my main position before I got to college. I always played first base which is where I would start my first 3 years at Langley. My senior year of high school is when I settled into pitching much more.
How do those two majors work together?
They are very different which I like. Topics don’t get too repetitive. My microbiology classes are really interesting, but I enjoy being able to go to my business ones and have a more real-world feel. Microbiology can feel really zoomed in and ultra-specific at times, especially since I started taking more upper-level classes in the School of Medicine and Dentistry.
Did you intern anywhere over the last two summers? What did you do?
I didn’t really do an internship. I need shadowing hours to apply to dental school, so I have been doing that in Rochester at East Avenue Dentistry with Dr. Hillman. It’s been great to be able to learn more about dentistry by watching procedures and getting hands on experience. I’ve gotten to try drilling and filling a tooth on a model set of teeth, used a new scanner that replaces old school impressions, taken an impression, poured stone molds of teeth, and even assisted on SRP. I’ve also gotten a lot of insight into treatment plans and ready x-rays and assessing patient history.
When did you become involved in softball?
I started playing t-ball when I was very young, probably early elementary school, and then graduated into softball around when I was 7.
How did you become involved with the University?
I became involved with the University when I came with my childhood best friend on her volleyball official visit. We were in a meeting and my friend’s mom told coach Ladi (Iya) that I played softball. Coach Ladi then brought me up to Coach (Margaret) Yerdon’s office where I met her and she told me to send her some film. I sent her highlight videos, and I was invited to go to the recruiting camp that fall. I ended up getting in in the spring and decided around admitted students day that I was coming here!
