McCall named Globe's fall softball player of year

Jun. 25—Awards may be something that get handed out, but they aren't handed out to everyone. They must be earned.

McDonald County's Madeline McCall learned that this season as she battled through an early-season injury.

"She dealt with a little bit of an injury and played through that," Mustangs' coach Heath Alumbaugh said. "She had a knee injury where she had surgery after the season was over. She came back and was able to hit for us, and eventually was able to rehab that enough to where she got back into the circle."

McCall has been named the Globe's fall softball player of the year for the 2021-22 school year.

The knee injury was nagging throughout the season but the senior battled through it for her final run on the diamond. Toughness was a word Alumbaugh used to describe McCall and her efforts this past year.

"Obviously, it was hurting her throughout the year. But she delayed the surgery until after the season had finished," Alumbaugh said. "The kid never complained about it, constantly wanted to be in the game and wanted to be doing what she could to help her team."

The Mustangs' top arm finished with a 0.84 ERA, allowing 14 earned runs in 116 innings of work. She maintained a 0.81 WHIP as she gave up just 48 hits and 46 walks.

Opponents reached base on McCall at a clip of .218 while batting just .121 for the season.

She recorded 247 strikeouts, 187 of them swinging. McCall's K/BB ratio was 5.41.

Of the 458 batters faced, she picked up first-pitch strikes on 308 of them for a 67% rate.

McCall picked up a pitcher of the year award for the Big 8 West. She was unanimously selected for first-team all-conference in the Big 8 West as well as a pitcher. In Class 4, McCall picked up all-state pitching honors.

"(McCall) is kind of what a coach refers to as a gym rat," Alumbaugh said. "There'd be a lot of times at night — we have an indoor facility at our softball field — I'd drive by and there'd be lights at eight o'clock or nine o'clock at night on so I'd stop to see who was in there."

"Most times (McCall) would be in there on her own, throwing the ball into the nine pocket (pitching screen) or getting swings off the tee. and she's been that way for four years."

McCall performed at the plate for McDonald County as well.

As a hitter, she finished with a .397 batting average while driving in 27 runs — second most on the team. She took the ball deep four times during the season and added a triple and five doubles for a total of 10 extra-base hits.

McCall drew 13 walks and had an on-base percentage at .505.

"She's a lead-by-example kind of kid," Alumbaugh said. "The amount of time she puts in outside of practice on her own, the other kids know that, they see that and I think that forces them to want to put in extra time, too."

McCall helped lead the Mustangs to a 24-7 record and a district runner-up finish after falling to Webb City in the title game.

The area standout has signed at Pittsburg State University to continue her softball career.

Alumbaugh mentioned McCall's knowledge of the game being a difference maker for her.

"We talk constantly about wanting our kids to be students of the game, and she is the epitome of that," Alumbaugh said.