Maddie Kuehl comes from an athletic family, so she was destined to be an athlete.
“I started playing softball when I was 5 years old,” Kuehl said. “My family is very athletic. My dad was a two-time All-American basketball player and played professionally in Germany. My great grandfather played football and basketball at the University of Tennessee. My mom played softball in high school and college, so it’s in my blood.”
Kuehl hit her growth spurt her freshman year, then the 6-foot-1 power-hitting power pitcher started to garner attention from college recruiters. She ended up committing to Texas Tech earlier this week.
“I was sort of a late bloomer, but I hit a growth spurt my freshman year,” Kuehl said. “I didn’t start getting attention from colleges until my sophomore year. The summer before my junior year, I visited a number of schools all over the country. Location wasn’t as important as going to a school with a good softball program and great academics.”
“When I visited Loyola Marymount and got the opportunity to meet and work with Coach (Sami) Ward and her staff, it felt like the right place for me. LMU is an great school with an incredible schedule, and it was relatively close to home, so I verbally committed in January.”
Coach Ward ended up leaving LMU and taking the job at Texas Tech, so what was Kuehl, ranked #145 in the Extra Elite Class of 2021 overall and #80 in the Pitchers positional ratings, going to do?
“Then, about three weeks ago, I got a call from Coach Ward and she informed me that she had taken the head coaching job at Texas Tech,” Kuehl said. “As if 2020 wasn’t already crazy enough, everything had changed yet again. My dad and I drove down to Lubbock and toured the campus and town. It immediately felt like home, and I wanted the opportunity to play in the Big 12, so here I am!”
https://twitter.com/MaddieKuehl27/status/1324441414269345793
RECRUITING SPOTLIGHT Q&A
Name: MADDIE KUEHL
Hometown: Longmont, CO
High School: Silver Creek High, CO
Club Team: Colorado Angels-Quimby 18U
Graduation Year: 2021
Height: 6-foot-1
Position: Pitcher/1B
Twitter: @MaddieKuehl27
Honors: CHSAA 1st Team All-State junior and senior year; BoCoPreps Region Player of the Year senior year; BocoPreps All-Region 1st Team sophomore, junior and senior year; Northern Conference Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year junior year; NCAC Conference Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year senior year; National Honor Society; Ap Scholar Award; and 1st Team Academic All-State.
High School Highlights/Stats: Three straight State Final Fours and one Elite Eight; SCHS all-time leader in strikeouts and WHIP; SCHS record for most strikeouts in a game with 16 (six times); career .513 batting average and 1.430 OPS; and second in State (4A) in home runs senior year.
Travel Ball Highlights/Stats: Threw a perfect game at PGF Nationals.
Favorite Pro Team: Chicago Cubs
Favorite Movie: “Almost Famous”
Favorite TV Show to binge: “The Vampire Diaries”
Do you have a secret talent (does not have to be athletic)?
Photography and memorizing song lyrics, but definitely not singing.
What were some of the things you were looking for in a college?
I wanted a strong psychology program, since I plan on becoming a clinical psychologist with an emphasis in sports psychology. A beautiful campus with a strong sense of community. A softball program with a winning tradition and a coaching staff that gets the best out of their players. Texas Tech checked all of those boxes.
How much advice did you get before you made your decision and what was the best advice you got?
I talked to my high school and club coaches, pitching coach, Shelby Babcock, who pitched at the University of Arizona, and obviously my parents. The best advice that I got was to not choose a school just because of the coach. While Coach Ward and Coach Miller are amazing, as I stated above, there are so many more reasons why I made this decision than just the coaching staff.
*** Scroll down to read more about Maddie’s recruiting journey and the reasons she’ll be a Red Raider…
