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Here’s our TLI for Tuesday, April 19:
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EXTRA SPOTLIGHT: MADISON WENDEL
Decorated multi-sport star Madison Wendel, a 2024 P/1B/power hitter, recently talked to Extra Inning Softball about Ohio Outlaws-Leggins, playing multiple sports for Coldwater High in Ohio, battling back from injuries, recruiting, amateur eating and Atlanta.
EXTRA SPOTLIGHT Q&A
Name: Madison Wendel
Hometown: Celina, OH
High School: Coldwater High
Club Team (age group): Ohio Outlaws 05 National-Leggins
Graduation Year: 2024
Height: 5-foot-11
Positions: P/1B
Nickname: Blondie/Wendizzle/Wendizzy
Twitter: @madison60785046
Honors: Softball — All-Summer Team by Extra Inning Softball (2021); 1st Team All-Conference (2021); All-State Underclassman (2021); Volleyball — Mercer County State Line Player of the Year (2021); Daily Standard 1st Team (2021); All-Conference (2021); and All-District (2021); Basketball — varsity letter winner in basketball freshman and sophomore year; National Honors Society and college classes.
Travel Ball Highlights/Fall Stats: Hitting — .486 AVG, .465 UBP, 1.247 OPS, .782 SLG, 15 doubles, 7 HRs and 45 RBIs
High School Highlights: Pitching — 11-1 with seven HRs so far this spring.
Tell us about your travel team/organization and how you became involved with them?
I play for Outlaws-Leggins. I joined the team halfway through the fall season in 2020. I was hesitant to join the team because I didn’t think I was good enough, but I decided that if I want to play at the next level, that this is the team I need to be on. The team was so inviting when I joined.
I was super shy at first, but as they know now, I’m a completely different person. The girls were so kind and that let me be myself. This team has transformed my love for the game. I knew I loved softball, but after this past travel ball summer it has made me love the game even more. This team is the most talented and caring group that I’ve ever played on. I have been able to make very close friendships and they will last a lifetime.
We all have an unconditional love for the game of softball, and that’s what makes this team so special.
Not only this, but the coaches are amazing. I love the way that they give up their weekends to come out and make our summer and fall unforgettable. Not only this, but we are all very swaggy. We have super cool uniforms and a swag chain that we use when someone hits a home run. The chain is one of my favorite things. Our team is so special and there’s not a team like us.
Can you talk about your experiences at Coldwater High?
My main goal at Coldwater is to leave a legacy and change the program. I was a ball girl for two years while my dad was the JV coach. He coached to make a difference for when I got there, so I got to see how it was day to day for the varsity. When I was a freshman, I had to take on the role of being a leader in the circle and at the plate because I was the starting pitcher and a 4-hole hitter. This is what I have been dreaming of my whole life. The opportunity was there for me. I just had to make the most of it. That’s when I knew that I wanted to break records and leave a legacy for the up-and-coming girls.
Last year, our goal was to win the MAC (Midwest Athletic Conference), but that didn’t happen. At this time, we only have 12 girls in our entire program, but our team wants to win the MAC, so we can earn some respect in the MAC and more importantly in Coldwater. This year we are trying our hardest to go out there and win. Coldwater has only won the MAC championship outright one time. It is our hope that this is going to change this year.
I love working with the younger kids and I get the opportunity in the summer by working at the park. I was that little girl who looked up to the older girls, so I make sure that I take time to talk to every little girl who has a ball and a glove. You never know who is watching.
Can you talk about your injury, how long it kept you out and what you had to do to get back?
In the fall travel ball season of 2021, I was having terrible pain in my right push off foot from the beginning of August. Every time I pushed off, it hurt so bad. I pushed through it until the fall was over, then I got it checked out after our second basketball scrimmage. The basketball coach asked me if I was dogging it. I could barely walk, but gutted through eight quarters of basketball that night.
At first, I only thought I had one break in the ball of my foot, but after the MRI it turned out that I had six stress fractures throughout my right foot. The news was devastating because this happened during basketball season, but I knew that if I didn’t get it checked out now, it was going to affect my high school softball season. I was out from November 16, 2021, to the 28th of December.
During that time, I was going to physical therapy to work on my strength, but I couldn’t run or jump, so it was hard. They did 100 percent BFR, which allowed the bones to heal faster. I think this helped along with the vitamins I was taking. I didn’t want to rush back into things because I didn’t want to re-stress it. It was very hard for me to not overdo it because I’m the type of person that I never want to not do anything.
I always want to work and never give up. I overdid it the first time I tried to practice on my own. I hit and then I tried to do a few drills pitching-wise because I wanted to be ready for high school. When I went to lunge, there was pain in the ball of my foot again, so I had to go back to the doctors. They recommended me to a foot specialist to get inserts, and they ended up working for me. I have a pad on my right foot that lets the ball of my foot have some cushion when I go to push off of the mound.
After I got my inserts, I started basketball again. I ended up finishing the season while working on softball during it. I did all sorts of drills to help with my speed pitching-wise. I started a workout program that works on getting a softball pitcher ready for the season. It included bands to strengthen my shoulder and all sorts of different workouts that improved my softball skills. The injury allowed me to think about what I really wanted. I could’ve given up right then and there, but I didn’t. I wanted to come back from my injury better than I was. It was always great to hear from Coach (James) Leggins during this time and to keep my spirit up.
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